Let’s start with a quick rundown on what language immersion preschool programs are, exactly, and how they differ from traditional language classes. A traditional class means that one class (the language itself, e.g. Spanish) is taught in the foreign language. The other classes in the child care or preschool program are taught in English. The result is that a relatively small percentage of the child’s day is spent speaking Spanish.
In a language immersion daycare or preschool, most (or all) classes are taught in the foreign language, resulting in a higher percentage of the day spent speaking it. There are different types of immersion programs, depending your goals as parents. All programs assume that one language (let’s say English) is being spoken at home and you, parents, would like another language (let’s say Spanish) to be learned at preschool. Maybe even a third language (let’s say Mandarin).
The U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition(CARLA) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL) have both recently published research on the benefits of learning a second language and immersion as a superior method of teaching.
In short, young children in immersion programs have the best advantage in developing the pronunciation, structure and intonation of the new language easily and successfully.
Children who learn a second language from an early age consistently show superior mathematical conceptualization, problem solving skills, verbal acumen, and creativity.
Empowered with a second language and appreciation for cultural diversity, our students are ready to embrace the multicultural world they will be running one day.
