New 'Let's Learn Together' site helps families navigate Estonia's schools
A new online resource offers families practical guidance on navigating education in Estonia, from schools and learning Estonian to homework and supporting kids through change.
"Let's Learn Together" explains how kindergartens and schools work in Estonia, while offering parents and caregivers tips on supporting their kids as well as what additional help and resources are available.
"We've compiled useful information and practical advice on the Let's Learn Together website to help parents support their children through different stages of life," said Liina Kanter, head of education innovation at the Education and Youth Board (Harno).
As parents and guardians play a key role in helping kids grow into happy, caring and capable adults, she said supporting parents likewise becomes part of the board's broader role in developing the education system and boosting kids' and teens' learning and development opportunities.
With Estonian kindergartens and schools getting more diverse, Kanter added, it's also "becoming increasingly important for parents, teachers and kids to understand one another across different languages and cultures, work together and foster a shared sense of belonging."
Topics covered on the "Let's Learn Together" site include establishing effective communication with schools, supporting children through major transitions, helping with homework, and maintaining their home language alongside Estonian to help support language development.
The site features articles, personal stories, podcasts and videos in which parents, young people and experts share their experiences with adapting to multilingual and multicultural life and education in Estonia.
The video series even includes a dedicated guide to supporting your child as they start school with first grade — which for many kids across the country will be on September 1 next week.
The resource is available in English, Estonian, Russian and Ukrainian, with YouTube subtitle options included on all videos, making its guidance accessible to a broader range of families.
Parents 'don't have to figure it out alone'
Between this October and next spring, the Education and Youth Board is also inviting parents and caregivers to a series of one-day Smarter Parenting Day conferences in various cities, emphasizing that "parents don't have to figure everything out on their own."
Panels will feature expert guidance on topics including children's mental health and integration, and balancing parenting and personal support needs, as well as personal stories from parents and kids about what really works in real-life challenging situations.
The "Let's Learn Together" initiative is part of broader efforts to support children in multilingual and multicultural educational settings, with activities supported through the Swiss-Estonian Cooperation Program.
--
Editor: Aili Vahtla
