Finding learning support in English can be challenging to find, not to mention emotionally frustrating for yourself and your family, when you live in a non-English speaking country. Thankfully, parents in Basel now have one additional resource – Zurich-based Foundations for Learning has recently opened a new office in Basel, providing English-speaking assessments, services, academic coaching and more.
Foundations for Learning
“The mission of our foundation is to support students, parents and their teachers in English,” says Sylvia Leck, Founder and Academic Director of Foundations for Learning (FFL), who adds that the centre’s services aim to mirror those provided in German by practitioners in the local school boards.
Sylvia founded FFL in 2010 after working for 15 years as Head of Learning Support at a large international school in Zurich.
“To date Phone Number Trace , we have worked with over 300 students and 35 schools in the Zurich area. Our hope is to bring the same level of support to the Basel area”.
The new Basel office
FFL’s Basel centre – located on Steinentorstrasse just off the Heuwaage tram stop – offers a wide range of services for children (and adults as well), includingsupport for speech and language therapy, Autism spectrum disorder services, psychological services and academic services. The Basel team has two education consultants, two clinical psychologists, three speech therapists and four learning support teachers.
“We also carry out assessments including full neuro psychological assessments, achievement tests, as well as assessments for handwriting, maths, and speech/language”
Sylvia adds that these assessments are particularly useful for parents when they are first trying to determine whether their child might be struggling in a particular area.
Think your child may have a learning difficulty?
“Parents often ask me what signs they should look out for that might indicate that their child has a learning difficulty,” says Sylvia.
If your child is at school, Sylvia stresses that the first person you should speak with should be your child’s teacher.
“Arrange a meeting, and be sure to make a note of your observations and concerns prior to the meeting to ensure you cover all your main points. Also, because we sometimes tend to jump to a conclusion regarding what the difficulty might be, try to describe what you see rather than what you feel the difficulty might be,” says Sylvia.
If your child is not at school or you would like more information, Sylvia advises parents to email her at Sylvia.leck@foundationsforlearning.ch to set up an initial consultation. “This 30-minute meeting is free of charge and gives us the opportunity to discuss your child and concerns in more depth.”
Visit FFL’s website to learn more about the organisation and their services.