Enroll Non-English Speaking Child in Public School (kindergarten, public schools, Russia)
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I am a US citizen currently living in eastern Europe. I have two kids, a soon-to-be 7 year old daughter and a 4.5 year old son. Both were born outside of the US and neither speak English. I plan to return to the US in January 2015 for about six months before coming back to where we are now. When my family is in the states from Jan-Jun 2015, I plan to enroll my older kid (she will be 7 by this November) in the local school.
I have a few questions.
1. What documents do we need to provide in order to enroll the old one to the local school? Rental agreement, birth certificate, what else? My daughter will be attending the 1st grade in our current place from Sept to December so technically she will be "transferring" from the school here to a school in the US. When should we contacting the school in the US? We know which city and the neighborhood we will be living in in the US, but we have not secured a rental place yet.
2. Can someone tell me what will the school do with a child who does not speak English? Her native language is Russian and she can understand some spoken English, but she does not talk in English? Will the school let her sit in the classes with other kids and hopefully she will catch the language over time? Or will the school give her individual lessons in her native language in the beginning until she is able to understand the instructions in English?
3. As mentioned earlier, my family does not plan to return to the US permanently yet and this trip to the US will last about six months. So my daughter will be attending the 1st grade in the US from Jan to June. After that she will continue her school in our current place. Will she be frowned upon by the US school once they know that she will be there for only six months? Will there be a problem to enroll her in the middle of a school year?
4. I plan to send my younger one to a day care so he can play with other kids and learn some English, and not get bored staying at home. Anything that we should be aware of sending a non-English kid to day care? He will be five by February.
Sorry for so many questions. I am a naturalized citizen and did not go to the public school in the US so I have little knowledge of how public schools work in the US. I hope people on this board can help me with my questions. Thank you in advance.
Many schools have students who can't speak the language and provide ESL classes, so your children should be OK.
A question though, if I dare ask. Why didn't you teach English to your children? Being bilingual is a very important asset these days, especially if English is one of the languages... Maybe you can start now, so that they are not entirely lost when you guys come to the US.
You should contact the school your child will attend, to find out exactly what their registration process is, and what documentation they will need. That information is often on the school district's website. I know that ours requires photo i.d. (parents) and two forms of address verification, such as a rental agreement, mortgage, or mail with your address. Also, you will likely need to provide evidence of vaccines rec'd - there are requirements varying by state as to which ones are needed by which age.
My oldest daughter attended a preschool where she was the minority - of 18 children, only 3 (including her) spoke English as their primary language. Most of the others were some Indian language, with a few Asian and European languages as well. The teachers only spoke English fluently, but they memorized a few key phrases (Good morning, Do you have to go to the bathroom?, etc.) I witnessed several children start mid-year knowing no English at all, but within a few months they were speaking pretty well. A few who started the year knowing none, finished the year practically fluent. It was really amazing how quickly they picked it up. I would look for preschool that has some experience with situations like this.
I'm not familiar with older children entering school, beyond having several middle-aged friends who came here as children between the ages of 5-10 who were thrust into school without knowing English, but picked it up quickly and speak fluently now with no accents. Of course, they were here longer than 6 months; not sure how long it took them to catch on.
Since you're not moving until January, maybe take the time to get your kids speaking and understanding more, before they arrive?
First I agree start NOW working on English with your kids. Schools have ESL (English as Second Language classes, but be aware most of the "Primary" language will be Spanish in most schools.)
1. What documents do we need to provide in order to enroll the old one to the local school? Rental agreement, birth certificate, what else? My daughter will be attending the 1st grade in our current place from Sept to December so technically she will be "transferring" from the school here to a school in the US. When should we contacting the school in the US? We know which city and the neighborhood we will be living in in the US, but we have not secured a rental place yet.
You will need Rental agreement, and 2nd form of residency Utility bill would be good, Birth Certification or Passport, I assume the kids are US passports, so I would use that. Health records, or plan to get the kids the shots they need. you can't contact the school until you know where you will be living, Most "Cities" have one school district, so go to there website and find what you need to enroll, but you can't actually enroll till you know where you will live.
2. Can someone tell me what will the school do with a child who does not speak English? Her native language is Russian and she can understand some spoken English, but she does not talk in English? Will the school let her sit in the classes with other kids and hopefully she will catch the language over time? Or will the school give her individual lessons in her native language in the beginning until she is able to understand the instructions in English?
The school will put her in ESL classes, But unless you are living in a very Russian speaking area most of the ESL will have no-one on staff that speaks Russian. Again start working on ENGLISH NOW
3. As mentioned earlier, my family does not plan to return to the US permanently yet and this trip to the US will last about six months. So my daughter will be attending the 1st grade in the US from Jan to June. After that she will continue her school in our current place. Will she be frowned upon by the US school once they know that she will be there for only six months? Will there be a problem to enroll her in the middle of a school year?
No they will enroll her like any other student, She will be "behind" in the ESL but the school will deal with it.
4. I plan to send my younger one to a day care so he can play with other kids and learn some English, and not get bored staying at home. Anything that we should be aware of sending a non-English kid to day care? He will be five by February.
NO, will give him a chance to play with kids his age, in a social environment, but again start working on his ENGLISH NOW
I am a US citizen currently living in eastern Europe. I have two kids, a soon-to-be 7 year old daughter and a 4.5 year old son. Both were born outside of the US and neither speak English. I plan to return to the US in January 2015 for about six months before coming back to where we are now. When my family is in the states from Jan-Jun 2015, I plan to enroll my older kid (she will be 7 by this November) in the local school.
Okay, I'm a graduate student pursuing an M.Ed with a concentration in ESOL, so I might be able to help.
I have a few questions.
1. What documents do we need to provide in order to enroll the old one to the local school? Rental agreement, birth certificate, what else? My daughter will be attending the 1st grade in our current place from Sept to December so technically she will be "transferring" from the school here to a school in the US. When should we contacting the school in the US? We know which city and the neighborhood we will be living in in the US, but we have not secured a rental place yet.
You will need a whole list of documents. Check with the school district in which you plan to enroll her now. Most likely they will include: proof of residency, proof of age, and immunization records. You are still entitled to a free public education for your children, though, even if you cannot provide these.
2. Can someone tell me what will the school do with a child who does not speak English? Her native language is Russian and she can understand some spoken English, but she does not talk in English? Will the school let her sit in the classes with other kids and hopefully she will catch the language over time? Or will the school give her individual lessons in her native language in the beginning until she is able to understand the instructions in English?
You should at least make sure she knows her alphabet and phonics.
Most likely, she will be put in an ESL pull-out program and instructed mostly in English. Most schools in the United States teach English Language Learners via an ESL program--where students are instructed only in English and learn English via use of simple pictures, procedures, and bilingual dictionaries. Teacher translation will be limited to non-existent, in most cases.
A Bilingual Education program--a program that instructs the child in her home language and translates it to English--will not be necessary at her age. She will most likely catch on to English very quickly and learn to use it in a variety of new situations. Since children are just learning writing, spelling, sentence formation, etc., I don't think your child will be at any disadvantage in an ESL class.
3. As mentioned earlier, my family does not plan to return to the US permanently yet and this trip to the US will last about six months. So my daughter will be attending the 1st grade in the US from Jan to June. After that she will continue her school in our current place. Will she be frowned upon by the US school once they know that she will be there for only six months? Will there be a problem to enroll her in the middle of a school year?
Most families new to the United States enroll their children in the middle of the school year. Again, it shouldn't really be a problem. Just make sure you work with her at home on important information so that she's well prepared to do the work and succeed in all settings.
4. I plan to send my younger one to a day care so he can play with other kids and learn some English, and not get bored staying at home. Anything that we should be aware of sending a non-English kid to day care? He will be five by February.
Sorry for so many questions. I am a naturalized citizen and did not go to the public school in the US so I have little knowledge of how public schools work in the US. I hope people on this board can help me with my questions. Thank you in advance.
You can enroll both of them in a U.S. public school. The five-year-old will benefit from being in a language rich environment full of games and exploration. If you think you must enroll him in a daycare, though, check out the Pre-K programs offered by most U.S. public schools.
It's good to ask questions; we don't mind.
More tips:
Make sure your children are up to par with what they need to know in their home language. Make sure they can recognize their colors, numbers, shapes, letters, etc.
Start helping your children learn written English, mostly letter recognition, the alphabet, sounds, and sight words.
Encourage your children to be proud that Russian is their first language and do not try to hide the fact that they are English Language Learners.
Teach your children a few important facts about U.S. and Russian history, and make sure they can read a map.
Once your children return to their home country, continue to help them with both spoken and written English so that they build solid proficiency in the language.
Most states want the kids to be 5 by a certain cut-off date, typically August 31 or Sept 1, so the OP shouldn't count on his younger child being allowed to attend kindergarten, just because he'll be 5 in January.
Here's a list of the various age requirements, by state.
Get your kid up to speed with understanding English as quickly as possible. I knew a kid who came to our school at a young age after having lived in various countries, wasn't great verbally or with written word, fell behind and never really caught up. Fortunately we're living in a time where learning has never been easier.
Let your children watch some videos in English, preferably shows or movies that they already know and like. Have they seen any Disney movies or Sesame Street videos?
I'm not directly answering your questions, but I moved to the U.S. from eastern Europe when I was 5.5, and didn't speak any English except for "hello" and "I don't understand." I got sent to school the first week we were in America, and within a few months, I was fluent in English - I guess from all the immersion. I vaguely remember some ESL private classes with a couple of Japanese boys, but I'm not sure how much they actually taught me. I just picked it up. Of course, kindy is different now than it was 25 years ago, and there's a lot more reading/writing and less free play. So, I'm not sure how your kids' experiences would vary...
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