By definition, a Language Immersion program provides the learner with the experience of being exposed to the target language for more than 50% of the week, over the course of months or years.  It is important that the learner be engaged in the regular activities of school or daily living.  According to linguists and neuroscientists, immersion is the quickest and most effective method for acquiring a language. The goal of language immersion programs are to make the learners fluent, while spending the least amount of time on overt teaching, skill drills, and memorization work. 

 DUAL LANGUAGE: A structured dual language program has two aims: To allow English language learners to acquire English, while retaining their native language; and to allow native English speakers, to acquire the language of their classmates.  While one is learning English, the other is learning the target language – let’s say Spanish.  Both languages are considered equally valuable and bilingualism for all is the goal.   Exposure is usually 50/50. BILINGUAL programs aim to help English learners acquire the language and learn other academic content with the help of their native language.  Teachers may use 10% to 75% of the native language to assist in the learning of content such as math or science.  In the US these programs have been traditionally used to help ELL’s keep-up in their academic subjects. FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  This is the typical approach to other language learning found in most US schools, and the least effective of all.  Students are exposed to 2 – 5 class periods per week of target language instruction using skill building assignments, memorization, flash cards, and other standard teaching techniques.  IMMERSION: Experts agree this is the most effective method for language acquisition.  In these programs teachers speak to students in the target language 50% to 100% of the time.  Some programs designate every other day for the target language; others 50% to 100% of each and every day.  In most programs (except pre-schools)  the learners are also required to  speak only the target language.  In immersion programs, the younger the learner, the more rapidly they acquire the language, and the less likelihood of an accent.

Morningside PlayCare offers both languages because while the brain is young, it will wire for as many languages as it is exposed to.  The brain doesn’t begin to narrow the choices until about age 6.  So our program exposes children equally to both Mandarin and Spanish while they are infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers, allowing parents to make the choice in Kindergarten or First Grade, as to which  language (in addition to English)  to focus on for reading and writing skills.  We of course, encourage parents to continue  exposure to the third language,  so as to easily sustain comprehension.  Then in middle school or high school, the child can return to pick-up where he/she left off with the third language.

Whether English is spoken at home or not, all children living in the US who have a social life, become English dominant speakers – motivated  by the all powerful social drive. That’s why parents who want their children to learn English enroll them in our program.  The language of the young children is English, so it is quickly acquired.  For native English speakers, again, the neuroscience is pretty clear, that acquiring multiple languages has a positive impact on cognition and language agility over the longterm.  They become more agile language speakers and social beings.  At Morningside PlayCare the young children are free to speak English until they develop the confidence to speak the other languages they acquire through our program.  We have found that even children with developmental delays benefit from language immersion. In fact, multilingualism is often their greatest strength.

Your child will acquire the language from his/her daily exposure in our program, whether you help at home or not.  The young brain is wired for language acquisition and no supplements are needed.  For reading purposes, parents are encouraged to read storybooks containing target language writing to support exposure to writing in languages other than English.  (You may secure a copy of our bilingual storybook.)  Parents may choose to play Disney videos in the target language.  Of course parents who speak the target language should do so at home.  And parents who would like to learn, are also encouraged to study the language using game apps, or if there is time, taking a course.   Still, in a matter of months, your child will have skills far beyond your own; so just look forward to that day when the family takes a trip abroad, and your child is the translator.

We asked about this at a National Chinese Language Conference with linguistic and neuroscience experts on the stage.  Their answer was that while there is a dearth of research on the topic;, the existing research indicates that a language delay happens across the board.  In other words, if the child is delayed in one language, he/she will be delayed in two or three.; if they’re agile in one, they’ll be agile in two or three.  The early research does not show that exposure to multiple languages impedes the development of English in developmentally delayed children; in fact the indication is that it enhances cognitive development and agility.

The research is overwhelming and clear.  (Visit our Research page.)  The young brain begins wiring for language while in the womb.  If the fetus hears Spanish, it wires for Spanish.  If it hears Spanish, Mandarin and English, it wires for all three.  This wiring is sustained for as long as the language exposure continues, and is lost very quickly (months) when it is interrupted.  This incredible capacity for multilingual wiring, which makes young children literally geniuses at learning languages, takes a steep drop at about age 5 or 6 then levels off.  There is another steep drop in capacity at about age 13.  Sadly, US schools begin teaching second languages in earnest, during the middle school years, at just the age when the brain’s capacity to acquire languages is taking its second steep drop.  This is the reason most of us (Americans) can only say a few sentences in a foreign language, even though we took courses for years – middle school through college. 

Learning to read and write Chinese is easiest while you’re young.  Our children start their exposure as toddlers, and  can read 10  to 30 characters by age 3.  They start writing (feels like drawing) at age 4; and by 5 can read 75 to 100 characters.  This is as much fun for the children as is acquiring the alphabet and learning to read and write English.  Six-year-olds who have been with us since age 2, are reading and writing Chinese story books.  It all depends on how young your child is when you choose to enroll.  All of our children are performing above age/grade level in reading and writing English.

A lot! Infancy to 2 years are the ideal ages. Children who start in infancy, will speak the target language when they utter their first words. Children who start at 2 to 3 years will understand the language in six to twelve months. Children who start at age 4 and 5 are able to acquire the language rapidly. Because we are one of the few programs in the country specializing in early childhood language immersion and multilingualism, we have been a resource to the field. Morningside Immersion PlayCare has been collecting the data, analyzing it, and presenting at professional language conferences for years. It’s astounding.  With 2 – 3 years of  90% to 100% immersion, five days per week, our children are scoring on the Intermediate and Advanced level on national and international  language assessments.  They have strong English pre-reading and reading skills and they are aware of, and quite pleased with their multilingual skills. (A confidence builder, for sure.)  Intermediate and advanced level 5 and 6 year olds are able to rapidly build reading, writing, speaking skills via our Remote Chinese/Spanish Learning program.  Unfortunately, children younger than age four don’t benefit from online language classes without the support of parents. But that’s OK, because toddlers really thrive in the in-person environment, and for social/emotional reasons, this is where they need to be, anyway.

There is a reason language immersion schools will not accept a child who is new to the language after first grade.   The incredible capacity for multilingual wiring, which makes young children literally geniuses at learning languages, takes a steep drop at about age 5 or 6 – then levels.  There is another steep drop in capacity at about age 13.  Sadly, US schools begin teaching second languages in earnest, during the middle school years, at just the age when the brain’s capacity to acquire languages is taking its second steep drop.  This is the reason most of us (Americans) can only say a few sentences in a foreign language, even though we took courses for years –  middle school through college.    

We give them multiple languages because they can learn two or three at this age, as easily as one.  And once a child’s brain is wired for multiple languages, the wiring remains firm for as long as there is language exposure. Beyond even this, the wired young brain has the lasting effect of making it easier for your child to acquire future additional languages. Early multilingualism promotes life-long multilingualism.  And the world needs more people who can communicate across cultures.

The competition in New York City for acceptance into a good private elementary school is renown   However, because of our deep early immersion, Morningside PlayCare is a feeder school for the best language immersion private elementary schools in the city.  We have a 100% acceptance track record for our little graduates.  Children who enter these schools from our program are sought after for K, 1 and 2 grades.  And children applying to non-immersion private or competitive public schools are viewed with distinction because of their advanced language skills.  When our graduates leave for schools that are not language immersion, they continue to grow their language through our rich after school and remote learning programs.  We have a lifelong commitment to your child being multilingual.  And like all top immersion programs, we look for parents who share that commitment.

First we want to say, we have not yet met a child who we did not want to accept and enroll. Children are precious, with unlimited potential; the adults in their world have incredible influence on their development.   That said, we are a small school (That’s a good thing!) with a ceiling on our capacity.  It is critically important for all, that there be a match between family and program.  Educational psychology has long known that shared-values-communities are the strongest emotional and learning support a child can have.  Excellent home/school communication is also key. So we seek families who share our values, want a collaborative relationship, are committed over the longterm to the language, and enjoy being in community.  We want diversity – both ethnic and socio-economic.   And of course, we want children who can thrive in our setting. So when all is said and done, we are a moderately competitive program. (Our acceptance rate is about 50%.)  When we don’t have a space to enroll a child, we always offer the option of wait-listing.  As far as children enrolling in UPK or for that matter, any of our programs, previously enrolled children and their siblings always have first priority for available spaces.