Helen Doron in Romania, marking the brand’s 40th anniversary: The Story of An Educational Vision That Empowers Children Through Language

In a meeting with the Romanian journalists, Helen Doron, discussed the evolution of her educational approach, emphasizing early language learning. Starting 40 years ago, she developed a method inspired by the Suzuki method for music, focusing on repeated background hearing and positive reinforcement.

Her program, initially for children aged 1-6, expanded to ages up to 19 years old, and currently includes 24 franchises in Romania and hundreds of sub-franchises globally. During COVID-19, they transitioned to online learning, creating 800 interactive lessons within six weeks. Despite challenges, the program continued to grow, highlighting the effectiveness of their integrated, game-like teaching methods.

The Helen Doron’ s story started four decades ago when Helen herself, a linguist with a deep understanding of linguistic science, saw a gap in the way English was being taught to children, describing her frustration with the traditional methods of teaching English, which often started too late and relied heavily on reading and writing.

At the time, foreign languages were introduced too late—typically at the age of 11 or 12—and were heavily focused on reading and writing rather than natural language acquisition. Recognizing that children learn best when they are immersed in language from an early age, Helen emphasized the natural ability of children to learn language before the age of six, supported by neuroscience and her own observations, and sought to develop a more effective approach.

Inspired by the Suzuki Method

The inspiration for our methodology came from an unexpected source: music education. Sharing her experience with her daughter learning the violin using the Suzuki method,Helen recounted that she had decided to apply the Suzuki method to teaching English, believing that children should learn the language naturally, like a mother tongue.

The Suzuki method, developed for teaching music, is based on the principles of natural language acquisition. Two key factors contribute to a child’s ability to learn:

1. Repeated background hearing – Just as babies hear their mother tongue repeatedly, they should also be exposed to a new language consistently.
2. Positive reinforcement – Encouragement and engagement are essential to building confidence and mastery.

So, applying these principles to language learning, the brand developed a curriculum that integrates listening, speaking, and interaction before introducing reading and writing.

In the early days, Helen Doron herself personally recorded tapes filled with poems, nursery rhymes, and stories, creating an immersive auditory experience for children. These recordings became the foundation of our English program, allowing children to hear the language daily in an enjoyable and natural way. Teachers then worked with students to reinforce the meaning of what they heard, creating an interactive and dynamic learning experience.

As demand for this innovative approach grew, Helen Doron expanded by training teachers and developing professional materials and over time, their network of learning centers grew, leading to the creation of a structured franchise model that ensured consistency and quality across different locations.

Today, Helen Doron English program is recognized across Europe and has also reached Turkey and South Korea, where they even have full-day international schools.

The program first expanded to Austria, Germany, Poland (which is the top performing country in Europe), and eventually Romania, in 2008. Helen’s first franchise in our country was in Sibiu, where more than 400 children are currently learning English by her method. There are three Helen Doron master franchisees and 24 learning centers in Romania at present.

“In Romania alone, we have 24 learning centers, with many more opportunities for growth. Our methodology has also expanded to include Spanish language learning and other subjects such as science and mathematics. That means learning centers in Romania. Of course, there’s room for many. There’s many more, and it’s moving beautifully. This is my first visit ever to Romania. I’ve never been here before,” the founder said.

In line with the extension plans, the brand eyes to expand in Romania by five more centers in 2025, and, why not, opening an academy.

The Role of Technology and Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant challenge for their learning centers, like for any other activity. “With students and teachers unable to meet in person, we had to quickly adapt. Within six weeks, we developed 800 interactive lessons, ensuring that children could continue learning from home. Our extensive network of teachers collaborated tirelessly to create engaging online materials, demonstrating the resilience and commitment of our educational group,” said Helen.

“So very quickly, within days, we got going and started creating interactive PowerPoints for every single lesson that existed. We used our network of teachers. We have about 5000 teachers. We took the top teachers, we asked who could do it. They helped us and created a work with us. Within six weeks, we created 800 lessons. The main lessons, it was mind boggling that my pedagogy department were 24/7 they get they get one in be looking at it at three in the morning and getting it out again. You know it was, it was life and death. So online work for us in this way, but we also, we’re also developing an online platform, but that’s completely separate, which is a separate franchise, but I think the learning centers will also are looking to integrate online where necessary, possibly, it’s certainly in discussion, because we have our own platform now for online but it hasn’t been activated for our learning centers yet. But yeah, we’re we’re moving, and really we stayed afloat,” she added.

As future plans, Helen mentioned the development of an online platform, which is a separate franchise but may be integrated into learning centers in the future, while noting that the learning centers are discussing the potential integration of online learning where necessary.

“We are also in the process of integrating an online learning platform, which will further support our students and teachers. While this is a separate franchise, we see great potential in combining in-person and digital learning to provide a more flexible and accessible education.

As we continue to expand, our focus remains on maintaining the high-quality education that defines us. Our small group classes, dedicated teachers, and engaging curriculum set us apart, creating a learning environment where children thrive.

Our journey began with a simple but powerful belief: that language should be learned naturally, just as one learns their mother tongue. Through passion, innovation, and dedication, we have built an educational system that empowers children and shapes their future.

As we move forward, we remain committed to our mission—to provide an education that not only teaches language but also instills confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning,” the founder of the Helen Doron educational group concluded.