Spanish Bilingual Education: More Benefits Than You May Realize

Remembering that young children can greatly benefit from exposure to a variety of cultures and languages is important when evaluating any Brookline daycare program. The developing skills of youngsters are particularly responsive to an enriched environment where more than one language is spoken. For this reason, daycare-aged children are able to reap the greatest benefits of a bilingual education. In fact, mastering a new language is easier for these children than their older counterparts.

In addition, exposure to a new language while at daycare in Brookline can strengthen the development of verbal/language skills in infants, toddlers, preschool and even pre-K aged kids.

Why choose Spanish bilingual education?

Spanish is the primary language of approximately 330 million people around the world. It is a second language for nearly 50 million people. In a world that is rapidly growing smaller, thanks to technology and a global economy, the value of being able to communicate in Spanish should not be underestimated. Further, access to a rich world of art, literature, history and music becomes available through one's knowledge of Spanish.

Children receiving an early bilingual education in their Brookline daycare program have a unique advantage. In addition to the developmental and educational benefits of learning Spanish early on, they are better prepared to thrive in and appreciate a multi-cultural environment at any age.

What if a child already speaks a second language?

One of the best features about the Brookline community is its diversity. Multiple cultures and languages co-exist within a relatively small space.

It is common within the community for some children entering daycare in Brookline to already speak more than one language within their families. This may lead parents to wonder if exposure to another language is beneficial. In fact, the wider the exposure to new languages, the greater the benefit to the child.

No matter if they are exposed to one or multiple languages at home, young children still benefit greatly from a Spanish bilingual education. At a young age, children are most responsive and sensitive to languages. As a result, Brookline daycare that includes multi-lingual education is an ideal setting for language enrichment. What's more, there is no limit to the amount of language study a child can absorb or how greatly they benefit.

Spanish bilingual education can greatly benefit children throughout their lives on so many levels. When considering any child care center, Brookline families are well-served by placing their youngster in such an enriched learning environment.

Jane Bartlett is a retired educator who spent much of her career in leading Brookline preschool programs and providing daycare in Brookline. She now writes extensively on early education issues and remains active locally in Brookline's preschool community.