The Spectrum – Samantha Sadlier
“For many families, introducing two languages to toddlers is part of the way of life, but for some who are brought up into a single-language household, a second language is introduced once they enter school. For Aditi Aromi’s family, teaching her children both Spanish and English from the start was a natural part of raising her kids…Aromi’s daughter Vida, 4, shows a proclivity for languages, she said…As she prepares to start elementary school in the next couple years, Vida will attend one of the Washington County School District schools that offers a dual language immersion Chinese program…Marybeth Fuller, WCSD Dual Language program director, said the dual language programs at area schools are going well and she regularly hears from parents of students interested in transferring their children to a school where two languages are being taught. “Students who do dual language programs are often standing out among their peers in academic performance,” she said. “They have a leg up. There is so much research validating the way kids learn under dual language when they are full immersed.””(more)