Who we are

Duhovka, s.r.o. is an international preschool open to children of any nationality, which naturally creates a motivating bilingual environment and gives children direct, immediate contact with both the English and Czech languages.

Children encounter the foreign language and learn it gradually in real situations – in the give and take of everyday life. In these situations, language fills an unambiguous communication goal which is either clear to the child or easily deducible from context. Repeated association of expressions with particular situations copies the way children learn their mother tongue, demonstrating that this is the most natural and most effective way to teach a foreign language.

Preschool children integrated in a bilingual environment are prepared to continue their education in similar conditions, e.g. at private language schools or English-language schools.

We work with teachers who prefer to take a creative approach to teaching and treat children as partners. In the preschool environment, the teachers act as observers and partners, setting the scene for children’s activities. They support and encourage children on their path to knowledge and, through tested didactic techniques, prepare for them the optimal environment, maximally stimulating for their development.

How did Duhovka Preschool come into being?

Just like most parents, my wife and I spent quite some time choosing a preschool for our three-year-old son. Even though we eventually found a place for him in a State-run preschool, we decided not to send him there. It became clear to us that we want something a little different for our child. For us it is key, HOW the teachers work with the children and, most importantly, WHAT KIND of personalities and models they are for the children. After all, we believe that we, as parents, influence our children far more through what we actually do, how we behave towards our children, and what values we live, than through what we say.

We liked the idea of a preschool where children of varying nationalities would meet, and where the teachers would speak several languages. We like the metaphor that preschool-aged children are like sponges that absorb everything they encounter, keeping what they need for their further natural development.

And so we looked around for alternatives in the form of private preschools. We found out that most private preschools in Prague are exclusively English-speaking. But we and our children live in the Czech Republic, and the sooner our children learn to speak proper Czech, the sooner they will be able to go in depth into other languages and activities. Therefore, we say YES to English, but we also say YES to Czech, a language we will develop very intensively at Duhovka.

Ivana & Tomáš Janeček