There are eight childcare centers and childcare centers serving Basque children in Iparralde: Shirt from Biarritz, Txiki Txoko from Hendaia, Baiona Pen, Xoko Ttipi from Angelu, Xübücota de Maule, Ttinka de Lakarra, Ttuku Ttuku from Ziburu and Kilima from Azkain. Two years ago, they decided to create a network to help us and exchange experiences. Now take a step further along this road and create the partnership. Concolotx.

Low Basque supply

According to the members of the association, 29% of the daycare centers in Iparralde are within the label system managed by the Colegio Urbano and the Ente Público del Euskera, and most are bilingual daycare centers. Less than 5% of the spaces offered in immersion. In the case of exotic nurseries, 18% work in the immersion model (5 out of 28 Basques).

But demand is higher than supply. In the words of its members, the requests of fathers and mothers who desire sons and daughters in structures in Basque are “overwhelmed”, so “some fathers and mothers who would like to implant them in the immersion should implant them in other systems: bilingual or French monolingual”.

The association has clear objectives: besides maintaining knowledge, exchange and mutual support, they claim the development of early childhood immersion in Iparralde. To this end, they have asked the Public Institution of the Basque Country and the Association of Urban Centers to adopt the necessary means for the development of reception in Basque, in order to facilitate the creation of immersive day care centers or the organization of reception centers in Basque. They also call for the strengthening of training for Euskaldunifying workers.

Importance of language in the early years

“All families should be able to choose the reception in Basque,” said Konkolotxe members. In short, “the transmission of language starts from 3 years of age and immersion is the most effective model to ensure transmission”.