This chapter looks at the importance of language learning for parents and the barriers they perceive to continuing with German after graduating from Fritzkidz. The results are based on data from the research questionnaire as well as from interviews with parents. While parents express an interest in language learning, they show limited commitment to continuing with German given the scarce availability of German in primary schools in Sydney. The chapter unravels the dialectical relationship between local institutional learning opportunities and parental attitudes and actions, as well as the way this impacts on children's language education.

Following a description of parents' attitudinal change towards the programme and the value they attach to language other than English (LOTE) learning, the chapter illuminates the barriers perceived by parents to continuing with German language education, such as scarce availability and hierarchisation of extracurricular activities. This is followed by a discussion about the gap that is revealed between their expressed values and planned action, before concluding the chapter.

6.1 Attitudinal Change: From Irrelevance to Influencing Language Desires and Family Practices

As is evident from the previous chapter, the bilingual programme was not an important selection criterion for almost half the Fritzkidz clientele when choosing the facility. However, of all parents who reported that the bilingual programme was not a reason for choosing Fritzkidz (48.4%, N = 45), 60.6% (N = 28) reported that their attitude towards language learning had changed, either a lot (24.4%, N = 11) or a little (36.2%, N = 17), while their child(ren) was or were enrolled at a Fritzkidz centre. Around one-third stated that their attitude had not changed (29.8%, N = 14) and 8.5% (N = 3) did not respond to this question. The experience of Alana (Excerpt 56), an English-speaking mother with two children at Fritzkidz, was a typical example of that attitudinal change.