The program started in Salzgitter in 2024 with five pilot locations. It is aimed at all children with and without a migration background with increased support needs in German. A further seven facilities (six elementary school and one daycare center) have now been added. Around 300 children in Salzgitter are currently being supported in their language development through MITsprache.

Mayor Frank Klingebiel said in his welcoming address: "Good German language skills are the basis for better educational and development opportunities - this applies to children with German as their mother tongue and to children with other mother tongues. Promoting language skills as early as possible in nurseries and elementary school is important, as it enables children to participate more actively in lessons and also strengthens cooperation in the classroom. I would therefore like to thank all schools, daycare centers and learning groups participating in the MITsprache project for their dedicated and important work."

Anna Koch-Söchting, acting head of the education department, added: "MITsprache is a great support tool for daycare centers and schools. The approach of additionally strengthening language and speaking skills in small groups using various language development games is very successful."

The school principals and daycare center managers in attendance reported significant progress in the acquisition of the German language, a noticeably more active participation of the children in social interaction as well as in class and the high fun factor for the participating children, which the program, which is based on language development games, brings with it.

The language support is structured in two to three small groups (per school or daycare center) of a maximum of seven children and takes place up to four times a week. The pedagogical specialists running the program have been trained beforehand and the participating facilities have been provided with extensive materials. One focus is on socio-educational work with parents.

MITsprache is financed by funding from three foundations (Fairchance Foundation, Volkswagen Employee Foundation and Heidehof Foundation) in the amount of over 130,000 euros, as well as a proportion of the schools' budget (own contribution) and the Startchancen program (Pillar II) of the Regional State Office for Schools and Education Braunschweig (RLSB). The city of Salzgitter, in its role as school authority, covers a proportion of the material costs at individual school locations.