Closing the Word Gap: Raising Bilingual Children to Excel

The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” (also part of a book title used by former First LadyHillary Rodham Clinton in 1996) has been one of the most widely quoted expressions on the support system required to raise a child. This quote reflects the mission statement of my startup; it’s also a mantra I believe in because of my own experience of moving from low-income to educated, and then to successful.

Despite the fact that I was raised by a single Latina mom who worked three jobs to support her family, I learned at home that education was the key to success and prosperity. Unlike other parents around us, my mother sent her children to preschool (According to National Center for Education Statistics less than 50% of Latino children today attend pre-K), she took us to the library, museums, and other educational events that celebrated learning and our Latino heritage. My siblings and I were all placed in the best expeditionary learning  school in the country: World of Inquiry in Rochester, NY.

There was a village of educators, community-based organizations, family, and friends who enveloped me in language (Spanish & English), diversity, knowledge, and community. That #30million word gap didn’t exist in my life because I had access to plenty of dialogues, books, and fun cultural experiences.

Did you know there are 4.4 million English Language Learners representing 10% of all grade school students? These students are 25% less proficient in English and essentially starting their academic experience in Kindergarten already in the achievement gap. Many of these students are raised by single, low-income parents who have less than a high school diploma. By second grade should these students not catch up, the federal government decides how many prisons to build. They know these students are at-risk to drop out and, therefore, may require social services or become engaged in criminal activity. Might you personally know some of these families and children? If so, is it possible for us to come together as a village to support our Latino children who desperately need to improve their reading, knowledge of math concepts, and language skills in both Spanish and English?

According to Eugene García, PhD and author of Understanding the Language Development of Early Education for Hispanic Children, “school readiness and school achievement patterns have their foundation in the period from birth to age three, a time at which the home and family typically play the dominant role in the development of children.” In other words, the home environment is one of the most important ways to build literacy skills. In these families, parents talk less to toddlers than their white counterparts and, therefore, are also less likely to encourage dialogue. There are also fewer books/literacy materials in the home. All these factors result in far lower spoken vocabularies, a predictor of reading and comprehension skills.

As an educated, bilingual mother, I told my son stories, read to him, sang songs with him, and put him in pre-K, knowing full well he was developing his language skills and cognitive abilities in two languages.

Underserved Latino youngsters are exactly the audience I’m trying to reach through my company Tipi Tom Tales; a digital media platform to help accelerate English language learning while exposing kids to vocabulary in two languages, early math concepts and games designed to improve their cognitive abilities. It’s true that it takes a village. Let’s build that village together to help our children succeed in school and life.

Deborah Castillero, Family & Education Contributor

5 Daily Activities To Help You Raise A Bilingual Child

“Our Culture, Our Traditions, Our Language Are The Foundations Upon Which We Build Identity.” Bilingual is Better by Ana L. Flores & Roxana A. Soto

Creating an environment for your child to learn a second language doesn’t have to be so challenging once a family makes a commitment to the goal, and creates habit-forming behaviors.

According to most bilingual educators, early learners should be exposed to each language on a daily basis. So here are 5 daily activities to help you accomplish just that.

1) “Se habla español” Upon Entering Your Home

Unless your children are in an immersion school, they’re hearing English all day. Therefore, make a commitment to speak español upon entering your home. As an art project, create a sign with your child that says, “En la casa se habla español.” You can also take it a step further and create flash cards with the names of all the furniture and appliances. Create a 5-minute daily habit of walking around your home while having your children name all they see in Spanish.

2) Español at the Dinner Table

Ensure the conversation at the dinner table is conducted in Spanish. Start off the ceremonial experience with a rhyme to get the conversation started: “Zanahoria, remolacha, pepino, lechuga, y col. Pimentón, perejil y ñame fortalecen el corazón” Source://poemasrimasycuentos.blogspot.com

3) A Call to Abuela, el Tio or la Prima

Make a list of your Spanish dominant family members and friends, and put them on the call list for your child to sing them a short Spanish song like “Los pollitos dicen pio pio”. Lots of fun songs available on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTApI_rUZ2E

4) Visit Oznoz.com

Oznoz.com is a website with unlimited access to high quality children’s cartoons in 10+languages. Start your free trial and turn on Plaza Sesamo, Musty 3D and Might Jungle, all available in Spanish.

5) Read a Bedtime Story in Spanish

Chose an age appropriate children’s book in Spanish that authentically depicts and celebrates Latino culture. Here’s a list of award winning children’s books: http://www.slj.com/2013/06/awards/intl-latino-book-awards-recognize-top-childrens-titles/#_

To Be Bilingual Or Not

"Language is not just an instrument of communication. It is also a symbol of social or group identity, an emblem of group membership and solidarity," by François Grosjean, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psycholinguistics.

The attitudes people and governments have toward different languages influence the way they perceive communities of the other language speaking groups. In thinking about bilingual education for your family, the questions to ponder are: “How do you feel about your ethnic identity?” And also, “What is the role your cultural background plays in your own community?” If you’ve decided you want to employ two languages into your family experience, bilingual education is your ticket to not only preserve your ethnic identity and second language, but also to help form citizens who are better prepared for a global economy.

Learning a second language requires motivation, time, energy, language input and support from your inner circle. According to most bilingual educators, early learners should be exposed to each language on a daily basis. Exposure can be in the form of talking, playing or reading. Apps and TV shows can also be useful tools, but interaction with people helps a child understand there’s actually a need to use the second language. Personally, I made a commitment to visit our family in Panama every summer vacation. With my monolingual family members, my son very quickly learned there was a need for him to use his Spanish to communicate with his relatives. To extend his learning of Spanish, I also established a language strategy for my family: Spanish would be spoken at home as much as possible. Additionally, I went out of my way to only select Spanish-speaking, in-home child care providers to support his language learning experience.

In considering a school-based dual language, bilingual or immersion program there are a many options to research. According to the National Association of Bilingual Education, most are categorized as transitional, developmental, or two-way bilingual education programs. According to the research report, The Astounding Effectiveness of Dual Language Education for All, the study concluded that those students who participated in the program scored as well as or better than all comparison groups on achievement tests and that they remained high academic achievers throughout their schooling (Thomas, Collier, and Abbott, 1993). As for English language learners, I think it’s important to share by law, schools in the US, must provide English language learners with equal access to a basic education and therefore English language learning instructional programs.

In summary, there are so many advantages to being bilingual. Seeing your child communicate with his or her abuelos is priceless. Being bilingual also allows children to cultivate a spirit of acceptance and open-mindedness towards other cultures. This kind of mindset in children is exactly what we need today to enhance race relations. Having such a skill also provides your child with a competitive advantage in the workplace, helps the brain become more efficient and thereby improve its cognitive abilities. In summary, most certainly, bilingual is better!