NACCSE
October Member spotlight – de Molenwiek
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What is your business industry category or specialty?
De Molenwiek – the Dutch school in metro Atlanta offers Dutch language and cultural education to children between the ages of 2 and 18. Our program consists of 38 weeks of 2,5 hour lessons and 4 cultural events throughout the year. We are governed by the Dutch Board of Education and use the similar teaching methods as ‘het basis onderwijs’ in the Netherlands. We also have adult classes available taught by a native speaker with experience in adult education as well as teaching Dutch as a foreign language. Classes are customized depending on the proficiency level of the students, as well as their goals and progress, and are focused on improving the students’ written and verbal skills.
How do you describe your job to people outside the industry? ‘De Molenwiek’ not only provides a quality education but also serves as an anchor within the Dutch and Flemish community here in Atlanta. We provide children, no matter if they are here for 2 years or a lifetime, with the opportunity to keep up with their mother tongue and stay connected to their family heritage and roots. After all our students are ambassadors for Belgium and the Netherlands in the US. As a director I try to facilitate a quality and fun education!
Who are your main competitors and what differentiates you from the competition? What makes you unique?
We are unique just by the fact that we are the only school offering Dutch culture and language in the state of Georgia. We are part of a network of 15 schools here in the US. We stay in close contact with these other schools/directors throughout the year.
How was the business started? ‘De Molenwiek’ was started by Simpha Savelsbergh in 2002. Her passion for the Dutch language and the joy of teaching children inspired her to put words into action. A lot of hard work resulted in de Molenwiek as we know it today.
How many employees does the business have? Currently, ‘de Molenwiek’ has 76 students attending our 8 different classes. We have 5 adults learning Dutch on Friday mornings. 14 teachers, both Flemish and Dutch, teaching; a governing Board and a lot of volunteers making it all happen! Like they say in the US ‘ it takes a village’!
How did you end up in Atlanta? We moved here in 2009 when my husband was transferred for GE. Having lived in Houston and NY (where there was no ‘Dutch school’ close by) the first thing I did was enroll my 3 youngest sons at ‘de Molenwiek’. My oldest unfortunately already missed the boat. We never planned on staying in the US but we did! As a parent I can say that I’m so thankful we found de Molenwiek. My sons still read and write in Dutch and the community has been a wonderful experience.
What is your number one business goal over the next year? As a school we are in the process of finalizing our 4 year strategy. The pillars we are focusing on are:
What is the best advice you have received regarding doing business with the Dutch/Americans? In this case it’s not so much doing business with the Americans/Dutch as we operate in a specific niche. One of the highlights of these past years has always been our Advisory Board Meetings. The Advisory Board supports but also challenges us as a school. They have encouraged me to take the next step and not be scared of the future. I feel the progress we made as a school these past 3 years is inspired by their ‘critical’ questions and advice.
Any other personal information you would like to share, e.g. hobbies, special interests, family etc… It has been a honor and pleasure to be involved with de Molenwiek these past years. After 9 years we moved to Seattle, WA which means ‘de Molenwiek’ will have a new Director per January 1st of 2019 in the person of Ellen de Bliek!
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