A good start in life for all Bornholmers
The locally entrenched programme De små børns Bornholm (in English The small children in Bornholm) has a vision that Bornholm must be an island of equal opportunity where the youngest Bornholmers get the best possible start in life together with their families.
Strengthening the language of young children, fostering communities, and supporting new families, along with good collaborations between midwives and the municipality are some of the initiatives that De små børns Bornholm has introduced over the past four years to give the smallest Bornholmers the best possible start in life.
Together with De små børns Bornholm, Bornholm Regional Municipality wanted to focus on how to best support Bornholm's toddlers and families early on. With support from Egmont, the purpose of the organisation’s program is to strengthen, rethink, and further develop cross-sector collaborations, so even more children get the right conditions to thrive, learn and develop. In this way, the program can enhance the well-being and life opportunities for all children and parents on the island, but in particular it aims to intervene early and effectively for those children and parents who are in the early stages of distress, to prevent children and families from falling into a vulnerable life situation.
The right help at the right time
What do you need? This is what families with children were asked from the start to ensure that their own perspectives became a central part of the solution. Based on the families’ needs, De små børns Bornholm has developed new offers and methods to support the youngest Bornholmers and their families. Midwives and the municipality work together. New ways of connecting with all families with young children have been tested. And local associations and organisations have offered new community activities such as communal dining and playgroups.
De små børns Bornholm is anchored in the Secretariat of the Bornholm Regional Municipality and is operated in partnership with SUS Social Development Centre. In autumn 2023, the Danish Center for Social Science Research (VIVE) concluded in an evaluation that De små børns Bornholm has real potential to make a difference for all families on the island.