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Why Choose a Bilingual Preschool?

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Parents have many reasons for wanting their kids to learn another language. For some it’s the desire to preserve a cultural identity; they speak the language and want to pass their cultural heritage on to their children. They also might feel strongly that their children should be able to speak to relatives who aren’t fluent in English. Others, who don’t speak a second language fluently, or at all, want to give their children the advantages of bilingualism. Achieving a high level of fluency in a second language is shown to improve cognitive reasoning, while being able to communicate competently in an increasingly interdependent global economy may create opportunities later in life.

Immersion preschools are generally the schools that spring to mind when we envision intensive second language education. At immersion schools, instruction happens exclusively in the second language, assuming students will have enough exposure to English at home and in everyday life to achieve fluency. In later years some classes may be taught in English to help ensure academic fluency.

In bilingual schools, classes are taught in two languages, generally English and the target language, with the desired result being to promote speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in both languages. The children who enter speaking one language fluently will learn to read and write in that language, while also learning the second language. Both languages and their respective cultures are honored and celebrated, and children are encouraged to use their varying abilities in their native and second languages to promote language acquisition.

Most language-focused preschools are immersion schools in that instruction happens primarily in the second language. Some students may not initially speak that language at all, although there are generally at least a few students who speak the second language at home. Because academics are not yet the focus of most preschools, the difference between immersion and bilingual schools may be less important, but it is necessary to keep the distinction in mind as you continue your child’s second language education.

When parents start considering a bilingual or immersion preschool for their children, they are likely to have many questions. Some parents may worry that their child will not quickly learn the second language and will feel scared, frustrated or lost at school until they do. Luckily, preschool-aged children are incredibly versatile; they can quickly and easily adapt to linguistic unknowns. Not yet having mastered their first language also helps them in their pursuit to understand the new language; they are already incredibly adept at using nonverbal cues to glean meaning from adults.

The teachers at immersion preschools are aware of the challenges young language learners face and they come prepared with an arsenal of tools to promote understanding. Children acquire language via exposure to comprehensible input, meaning they learn a language when they hear words and understand some portion of what those words mean. In order to ensure comprehension, immersion teachers use visuals, body language, hand gestures, facial expressions and intonation to communicate their meaning. They employ songs, stories and repetition to help students learn basic instructions quickly. Eventually, language abilities flourish. Young children acquire language very quickly, so many parents are surprised at the pace at which their children learn their new language.

Another common concern for parents is that they won’t be able to support their child’s learning at home, especially if they can’t speak that language at all. Parental support at home is not necessary for a young child’s success in another language, though. Prolonged exposure to the language at school should be enough to foster fluency. Time at home can be used to promote English language learning and fluency by using vocabulary that is being focused on at school, such as words for seasons, colors, numbers, shapes and so on. Parents who were once worried their children wouldn’t get enough of their second language might be surprised to find they can say the days of the week at school in Mandarin but not at home in English.

If parents do want to encourage the second language at home, there are many ways they can go about it. Speaking in the target language is always helpful. If you don’t already speak the language, it can’t hurt to start learning. It can actually help for your child to see how important the second language is to you personally, and he or she will probably revel in the role of teacher when you can’t remember a word. In the meantime, keeping a steady stream of books at home in the second language can also help; most libraries have selections in many different languages. Watching movies or TV shows or listening to music in the target language also promotes language acquisition. Internet shopping makes it very easy to stock your home with supplementary materials. There are also countless language resources available online for kids of any age.

Having some second language resources at home is definitely helpful, but achieving fluency in a second language is a much bigger commitment than a shelf of Spanish books. While it’s true that young children learn language more quickly and easily than adults, language skills need continual support or they will be lost. Children who go to immersion preschools and then attend English-only elementary schools will not become fluent speakers unless they are speaking their second language at home. For this reason, many parents continue their child’s second language learning at a bilingual or immersion elementary school. There are many such schools in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area––both public and private––touting an impressive array of languages. Before choosing what language your child will learn, it’s helpful to research public and private schools where your child can continue his or her education.

Parents who are considering a bilingual preschool might also wonder what to expect from their child developmentally. Some may worry their child will lose her ability to speak English or choose to speak in her second language, an especially distressing thought for parents who don’t speak it. The good news is that while some children show delays in learning their first language, those gaps are usually overcome quickly. If parents are worried about English delays they should only speak English at home and be sure to read frequently to their children in English.

As far as questions about whether concentrating on second language acquisition will negatively affect a child’s academic progress, there have been thirty years worth of studies showing immersion students do as well, if not better, in standardized verbal and math skills tests than their monolingual peers. In fact, some studies show that fluency in another language actually enhances English language development. While some students can lag behind their monolingual peers in early academic years when concentration on the second language is greater, just a year or two of increased classes in English allows them to make up, and then possibly surpass, this discrepancy.

It’s important for parents to remember that second language learning is a lifelong commitment. Children will likely not achieve native-like fluency in all areas (reading, writing, speaking and listening) even if they do attend bilingual or immersion schools for many years. If their education is stopped short, it is probable they will not reach fluency at all. Having said that, attending a bilingual preschool is still a productive endeavor even if parents are unsure of their future commitment to the language; at the very least, it can instill a love and appreciation for the language and culture that will extend well into the child’s life.

For more information and lists of specific studies on second language learning and education, please see What Parents Want to Know About Foreign Language Immersion Programs from the Center for Applied Linguistics.


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