Why should children learn a second language?

• Giving a child the gift of foreign language at a young age brings life-long benefits which extend far beyond the realm of language learning itself.²
• Young children who are exposed to foreign language have the natural ability to string words together and pronounce them authentically from simply absorbing the spoken language.²
• Children are at an ideal age to gain proficiency in a foreign language because it is taught in a fun and stimulating environment.²
• Studies show that students who learn a foreign language before puberty are more likely to achieve native-like pronunciation than those who pick it up later in life... the more time students spend in the target language (immersed), the more proficient they become.¹

Why should children learn language with an immersion program?

• Many parents at Mis Amigos Spanish Immersion are delighted at hearing their children sing songs using Spanish words and realize that true comprehension is taking place!
• “Immersion education is by far the best type of program in the U.S. for children to learn a foreign language,” says Nancy Rhodes, director of foreign-language education at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, D.C.¹
• “I only speak Spanish to my students. They listen, watch and follow what I have said. I love that they love my (native) language.” —Cristina Britos, teacher, Mis Amigos Spanish Immersion & Resource Center of the Americas.

Excerpts from The Wall Street Journal, Thursday, April 1, 2004¹ and “Opening the World to Children Through Second Language Learning”²