As a parent, you want to make the best choices for your child. If you want to introduce your child to a second language, it’s best to start early, and that’s exactly what immersion education is all about. There are dual immersion preschools, where kids learn things in a second language, typically Spanish, German, or French, which helps them pick up the nuances better.

‘Is this the right choice for my child?’

It’s more of a personal choice, but there is evidence that students in immersion education develop better academic and cognitive skills. It’s a common myth that only nonnative English speakers should send their kids for immersion education. If you want the child to learn a new language, or know more than just English, the best idea would be start early.

How is immersion education different?

In a normal school, teachers speak & teach in English, but in immersion education preschools, the target language used in the classroom is the second language, which allows the students to learn the second language like English. Even an average child does well in immersion education, and it allows the kid to grow up and take advantage of the second language for further studies and employment. You child will spend more hours at home anyway, so don’t expect immersion education to affect his English-speaking abilities.

What to expect?

Expect your child to speak in both English and the second language confidently. The school will also expose them to extended community, where they can interact and learn more. Bilingualism can also help your child to learn cultural aspects of the target language. This further helps the child to make friends, converse in both languages, and most preschools also focus on empathy and other things like kindness, which the child must learn from an early age.

Finding a preschool

Not all preschools that have the choice of second language are the same. We recommend that you consider all relevant details and figure out the popularity and credibility of the teachers. Make sure that the teachers are native speakers of the target language. They should use the target language beyond the classroom too, and it is expected of the preschool to have a comprehensive approach to learning. Class size and overall attention that a child gets are other aspects to consider.

Look for immersion preschools in your area and don’t forget to pay a personal visit.