bilingual childcare

amaite

It seems like the majority of childcare options in my area are bilingual. There are lots of bilingual families, but a lot of the childcare advertisements seem to be targeted at monolingual families. I've seen advertisements for big centers as well as small in home daycares that say your child will be bilingual within one year. When I go to the park or the library, most of the nannies are bilingual. In my neighborhood, even most of the monolingual families now have bilingual children. I think it's great and wonder if they will retain their ability to speak and understand both languages as they get older.
With the public schools, there is a lot of variation, with some offering two way bilingual programs or second language instruction right from kindergarten and others not offering any kind of second language until high school.
What about in your area? Does there seem to be a big push toward bilingualism for everyone,especially for toddlers?

SpruceGrouse

There doesn't seem to be a push but I know they really encourage Gaelic in preschool (starts at 3). Gaelic is continued in primary school along with French but I don't think it is pushed. I think they take the French more serious than the Gaelic once in highschool, so I think the Gaelic is more of a history thing (to keep the language alive kind of thing). I think the best way to keep a language is to use it. My best friend when I was little spoke French and I could speak it then, after she moved I lost it. DH went through French school and he still knows it well. So I think that you really have to be using it constantly for it to stick.

CrazyDaisy8

I would love if our schools were bilingual. I do not know many schools in my area that teach a second language until 7th or 8th grade. I am hoping to get Rosetta to learn Spanish and I would like to use it with LO.

LindsayDesigner

Several schools in our district have immersion programs in elementary school. The languages include Spanish, French and Mandarin. The kids learn a few subjects in the immersion language and the rest are in English. I wish DD could be involved in it but it isn't offered at our local school.

I took French in high school and college and DH took German. He also spoke Germam for two years as a missionary. He can still speak it where as I can hardly read French any more.

Cbarajas08

I teach at a dual language school. Starting in transitional kinder, students learn 50% in English and 50% in Spanish. Our students also get mandarin once a week.

piphigirl

One of our (not great) district schools has a 90-10 two way bilingual immersion program. 90% of the day is in Spanish and they make sure the class is half native Spanish speakers and half English. I like this but am not sure it's right for DD. First. I don't know about Spanish as my second language of choice. Next, is school is a state focus school and is not very good. I teach in the district and would be apprehensive about her attending any of our elementary schools - they have a lot of issues to address and I'm not sure it's being handled well. She is more likely to attend the local Montessori charter. I would love a bilingual nanny, though!