The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.
By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, doors open for their future.
1. Getting into a good kindergarten in New York City can seem as tough as getting into an Ivy League college. Nowadays, savvy parents are looking at The Right Preschool!

2. There is a demand-and-supply imbalance at Manhattan’s top-tier private schools like Dalton, Collegiate, Trinity, Spence, and Chapin etc... In the last decade, the number of kids taking the ERB (standard kindergarten aptitude test) to get into kindergarten has grown by almost 40 percent!

3. A bilingual education gives children a jumpstart on foreign language skills and later will distinguish these preschoolers from other Kindergarten applicants, according to the schools founder Christina Houri of www.lepetitparadispreschool.com  Manhattan’s Upper Eastside.

4. Madonna signed up her two children at Le Petit Paradis so they can receive a bilingual education.

5. Studies have shown that multilingual children have stronger problem solving and analytical skills than monolingual children. They score higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and achieve a higher grade point average. Multilingual children are more creative than monolingual children because they have learned that there are different ways in expressing oneself, describing an event or labeling an item.

6. Researchers don't know whether it is biological or social, but most children who learn a language before puberty seem to develop the ability to speak it fluently.


7. Dartmouth College research shows that multilingual children score 15 to 20 points better on IQ tests; have larger vocabularies than their peers; speak at an earlier age than most children; have more self-confidence; read sooner and have fewer reading problems than their peers; have fewer temper tantrums because they are able to communicate their needs sooner and more effectively and generally perform at an overall higher level.

8. Language experts say that timing is very important in children’s ability to acquire foreign language skills. Children have the natural ability to develop new language skills more naturally than do adults.

9. A child taught a second language after the age of 10 is unlikely to speak like a native.

10. Recent brain research studies show that the brain develops the most in the first three years of a person’s life. Exposing your children to another language actually stimulates their brain cells.

You need to be a member of New York in French to add comments!

Join New York in French

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Hi Brent;

    Thank you for your support. We have an open house tour on Thursday September 16 with time slots that you can sign up for. In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday in France!

    Brent Wilkins said:
    Bonjour,
    I was going through my e-mail on my wife's laptop here in the Rhone-Alps region of France when I happened onto your page.
    What a wonderful preschool you have. After working three years at an international school in New York, I know first hand the importance of a bilingual education. I spend time in France about twice a year, and being able to speak the language is always such a rewarding experience. When I return to New York in mid-August, I would love to visit your school.
    Top 10 Reasons to Choose Bilingual Education to Help in Kindergarten Crunch
    The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, do…
  • Bonjour,
    I was going through my e-mail on my wife's laptop here in the Rhone-Alps region of France when I happened onto your page.
    What a wonderful preschool you have. After working three years at an international school in New York, I know first hand the importance of a bilingual education. I spend time in France about twice a year, and being able to speak the language is always such a rewarding experience. When I return to New York in mid-August, I would love to visit your school.
  • I refer members to this excellent digital journal:
    www.multilingualliving.com/purchase-multilingual-living-magazine/

    Jonathan Goldberg

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Thanks Maribeth for your feedback. I understand your point. It makes me want to write a little more. Call me crazy but I just refuse to assess the issue of language learning as a mere competition between two or three languages. I do agree however that school administrators think in plain, economic terms when they choose one language over another for their school. But I really think they got it all wrong when they only base their judgment on the apparent easiness of learning one language over another. Why then promote Chinese - as apparently many school districts do - when it's going to take so much more effort for an English speaker to master the language? I think that the U.S. should promote a variety of languages in order to be more competitive internationally. Why not offer Arabic or Portuguese or Urdu? Spanish is great. So is French, German, or Mandarin. But why should the next generation of Americans not receive the gift of languages - the greatest gift of all. It's a passport to the world - a world of peace and understanding. Languages open all horizons. Europeans learn several languages. Asians learn several languages. Africans speak four to five different languages. Why should American schools lag behind when signs show that families really want their kids to learn languages as early as possible. I am puzzled. Did anyone ask parents in your town what they really wanted for their kids?

    Maribeth said:
    Because of the budget cuts, I am very impressed that there will be so many bilingual classes next school year in NYC. I hope your marketing efforts continue to inprove the numbers of classes each year. I wonder how French fares in the NYC public school system at the middle and high school levels, though. Although I agree that being multilingual is important, I also agree with Christina Houri when she implies that there is a competition among the languages. I just finished teaching 2 years of MS/HS French, essentially a dying program for a number of reasons. I was put into the position to increase numbers, which I did--by a whopping 38 percent in 1 year...that being said, the Spanish teachers, who have by far a monopoly on enrollment, continue to insist that there is only 1 language to take in the good ole USA....and even though French and Spanish are both romance languages and therefore, are related, Spanish is sooooo much easier! So, yes, unfortunately there is a huge competition....

    Congratulations to you and continue to promote French in NYC. Wish we had you here inPA.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Well, despite the budget crisis, there should be 25 classes offering French-English education in NYC's public schools next Fall: PS73 in Highbridge (Bronx), PS125 in East Harlem, PS84 in the Upper West Side, PS151 in Astoria-Woodside (Queens), PS58 in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn) and MS22 in Morrisania (Bronx). There's also a new charter school - NYFACS - opening in East Harlem, and a new trilingual school - PS770 - opening in Crown Heights (Brooklyn). Also, there are talks of opening new programs in Williamsburg - PS84 - and Park Slope - PS133.

    Just to clarify, I don't think Chinese or Spanish or French or other languages are in competition within bilingual or trilingual programs. I believe that the most important point is that children learn languages as early as possible. The more languages the better. All parents should be able to give the gift of languages to their children - and by that I mean being fluent in several languages when they finish school. Start them early!

    Christina Houri said:
    Thank you Fabrice. I wanted to ask you how are the public schools doing with the recently new French Kindergarten classes doing? We really need to bring back French to # 1 as Chinese and Spanish took over. It is a shame! So I do hope more families are interesting in French.
    Felicitation on your social site New York in French, it a wonderful way to connect the French community. Thanks for doing a good job of maintaining it.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Interesting post! Here is more information on dual language programs in public and private schools
    Purchase Multilingual Living Magazine
    Multilingual Living Magazine is now Free to everyone! You can find all of the issues here: Multilingual Living Magazine
  • Thanks Maribeth for your feedback. I understand your point. It makes me want to write a little more. Call me crazy but I just refuse to assess the issue of language learning as a mere competition between two or three languages. I do agree however that school administrators think in plain, economic terms when they choose one language over another for their school. But I really think they got it all wrong when they only base their judgment on the apparent easiness of learning one language over another. Why then promote Chinese - as apparently many school districts do - when it's going to take so much more effort for an English speaker to master the language? I think that the U.S. should promote a variety of languages in order to be more competitive internationally. Why not offer Arabic or Portuguese or Urdu? Spanish is great. So is French, German, or Mandarin. But why should the next generation of Americans not receive the gift of languages - the greatest gift of all. It's a passport to the world - a world of peace and understanding. Languages open all horizons. Europeans learn several languages. Asians learn several languages. Africans speak four to five different languages. Why should American schools lag behind when signs show that families really want their kids to learn languages as early as possible. I am puzzled. Did anyone ask parents in your town what they really wanted for their kids?

    Maribeth said:
    Because of the budget cuts, I am very impressed that there will be so many bilingual classes next school year in NYC. I hope your marketing efforts continue to inprove the numbers of classes each year. I wonder how French fares in the NYC public school system at the middle and high school levels, though. Although I agree that being multilingual is important, I also agree with Christina Houri when she implies that there is a competition among the languages. I just finished teaching 2 years of MS/HS French, essentially a dying program for a number of reasons. I was put into the position to increase numbers, which I did--by a whopping 38 percent in 1 year...that being said, the Spanish teachers, who have by far a monopoly on enrollment, continue to insist that there is only 1 language to take in the good ole USA....and even though French and Spanish are both romance languages and therefore, are related, Spanish is sooooo much easier! So, yes, unfortunately there is a huge competition....

    Congratulations to you and continue to promote French in NYC. Wish we had you here inPA.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Well, despite the budget crisis, there should be 25 classes offering French-English education in NYC's public schools next Fall: PS73 in Highbridge (Bronx), PS125 in East Harlem, PS84 in the Upper West Side, PS151 in Astoria-Woodside (Queens), PS58 in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn) and MS22 in Morrisania (Bronx). There's also a new charter school - NYFACS - opening in East Harlem, and a new trilingual school - PS770 - opening in Crown Heights (Brooklyn). Also, there are talks of opening new programs in Williamsburg - PS84 - and Park Slope - PS133.

    Just to clarify, I don't think Chinese or Spanish or French or other languages are in competition within bilingual or trilingual programs. I believe that the most important point is that children learn languages as early as possible. The more languages the better. All parents should be able to give the gift of languages to their children - and by that I mean being fluent in several languages when they finish school. Start them early!

    Christina Houri said:
    Thank you Fabrice. I wanted to ask you how are the public schools doing with the recently new French Kindergarten classes doing? We really need to bring back French to # 1 as Chinese and Spanish took over. It is a shame! So I do hope more families are interesting in French.
    Felicitation on your social site New York in French, it a wonderful way to connect the French community. Thanks for doing a good job of maintaining it.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Interesting post! Here is more information on dual language programs in public and private schools
    Top 10 Reasons to Choose Bilingual Education to Help in Kindergarten Crunch
    The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, do…
  • Because of the budget cuts, I am very impressed that there will be so many bilingual classes next school year in NYC. I hope your marketing efforts continue to inprove the numbers of classes each year. I wonder how French fares in the NYC public school system at the middle and high school levels, though. Although I agree that being multilingual is important, I also agree with Christina Houri when she implies that there is a competition among the languages. I just finished teaching 2 years of MS/HS French, essentially a dying program for a number of reasons. I was put into the position to increase numbers, which I did--by a whopping 38 percent in 1 year...that being said, the Spanish teachers, who have by far a monopoly on enrollment, continue to insist that there is only 1 language to take in the good ole USA....and even though French and Spanish are both romance languages and therefore, are related, Spanish is sooooo much easier! So, yes, unfortunately there is a huge competition....

    Congratulations to you and continue to promote French in NYC. Wish we had you here inPA.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Well, despite the budget crisis, there should be 25 classes offering French-English education in NYC's public schools next Fall: PS73 in Highbridge (Bronx), PS125 in East Harlem, PS84 in the Upper West Side, PS151 in Astoria-Woodside (Queens), PS58 in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn) and MS22 in Morrisania (Bronx). There's also a new charter school - NYFACS - opening in East Harlem, and a new trilingual school - PS770 - opening in Crown Heights (Brooklyn). Also, there are talks of opening new programs in Williamsburg - PS84 - and Park Slope - PS133.

    Just to clarify, I don't think Chinese or Spanish or French or other languages are in competition within bilingual or trilingual programs. I believe that the most important point is that children learn languages as early as possible. The more languages the better. All parents should be able to give the gift of languages to their children - and by that I mean being fluent in several languages when they finish school. Start them early!

    Christina Houri said:
    Thank you Fabrice. I wanted to ask you how are the public schools doing with the recently new French Kindergarten classes doing? We really need to bring back French to # 1 as Chinese and Spanish took over. It is a shame! So I do hope more families are interesting in French.
    Felicitation on your social site New York in French, it a wonderful way to connect the French community. Thanks for doing a good job of maintaining it.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Interesting post! Here is more information on dual language programs in public and private schools
    Top 10 Reasons to Choose Bilingual Education to Help in Kindergarten Crunch
    The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, do…
  • Well that is wonderful news! I agree any language would be an asset to young children in their future.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Well, despite the budget crisis, there should be 25 classes offering French-English education in NYC's public schools next Fall: PS73 in Highbridge (Bronx), PS125 in East Harlem, PS84 in the Upper West Side, PS151 in Astoria-Woodside (Queens), PS58 in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn) and MS22 in Morrisania (Bronx). There's also a new charter school - NYFACS - opening in East Harlem, and a new trilingual school - PS770 - opening in Crown Heights (Brooklyn). Also, there are talks of opening new programs in Williamsburg - PS84 - and Park Slope - PS133.

    Just to clarify, I don't think Chinese or Spanish or French or other languages are in competition within bilingual or trilingual programs. I believe that the most important point is that children learn languages as early as possible. The more languages the better. All parents should be able to give the gift of languages to their children - and by that I mean being fluent in several languages when they finish school. Start them early!

    Christina Houri said:
    Thank you Fabrice. I wanted to ask you how are the public schools doing with the recently new French Kindergarten classes doing? We really need to bring back French to # 1 as Chinese and Spanish took over. It is a shame! So I do hope more families are interesting in French.
    Felicitation on your social site New York in French, it a wonderful way to connect the French community. Thanks for doing a good job of maintaining it.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Interesting post! Here is more information on dual language programs in public and private schools
    Top 10 Reasons to Choose Bilingual Education to Help in Kindergarten Crunch
    The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, do…
  • Well, despite the budget crisis, there should be 25 classes offering French-English education in NYC's public schools next Fall: PS73 in Highbridge (Bronx), PS125 in East Harlem, PS84 in the Upper West Side, PS151 in Astoria-Woodside (Queens), PS58 in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn) and MS22 in Morrisania (Bronx). There's also a new charter school - NYFACS - opening in East Harlem, and a new trilingual school - PS770 - opening in Crown Heights (Brooklyn). Also, there are talks of opening new programs in Williamsburg - PS84 - and Park Slope - PS133.

    Just to clarify, I don't think Chinese or Spanish or French or other languages are in competition within bilingual or trilingual programs. I believe that the most important point is that children learn languages as early as possible. The more languages the better. All parents should be able to give the gift of languages to their children - and by that I mean being fluent in several languages when they finish school. Start them early!

    Christina Houri said:
    Thank you Fabrice. I wanted to ask you how are the public schools doing with the recently new French Kindergarten classes doing? We really need to bring back French to # 1 as Chinese and Spanish took over. It is a shame! So I do hope more families are interesting in French.
    Felicitation on your social site New York in French, it a wonderful way to connect the French community. Thanks for doing a good job of maintaining it.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Interesting post! Here is more information on dual language programs in public and private schools
    Top 10 Reasons to Choose Bilingual Education to Help in Kindergarten Crunch
    The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, do…
  • Couldn't agree more with this post. Our daughter goes to a respected private, all girls school here in New York and I am baffled as to why they don't start French until fourth grade! And this is a school that has a French pedigree! They should start in kindergarten when their minds are able to absorb a new language much easier through games, music, artistic activities, etc. Our kids both go to a class once a week at FIAF which is great, but I just don't think it's enough. I've already suggested to my daughter's school that they should start French sooner, but I think it may be time to start pushing them a little harder to consider this.

    I've just printed Fabrice's report and will be reading it tonight at home. Thanks!

    Daniel
  • Thank you Fabrice. I wanted to ask you how are the public schools doing with the recently new French Kindergarten classes doing? We really need to bring back French to # 1 as Chinese and Spanish took over. It is a shame! So I do hope more families are interesting in French.
    Felicitation on your social site New York in French, it a wonderful way to connect the French community. Thanks for doing a good job of maintaining it.

    Fabrice Jaumont said:
    Interesting post! Here is more information on dual language programs in public and private schools
    Top 10 Reasons to Choose Bilingual Education to Help in Kindergarten Crunch
    The importance of Bilingual Education in Early Childhood development.By giving children an opportunity to learn a second language at an early age, do…
  • Well, if Madonna did it, what are we all waiting for?....
This reply was deleted.

Visit our bookstore

Visit our store