French american school in Miami (home, middle school, living in)

[miamiparis]

My daughter is 4 and half years old. Right now, only french is spoken at home. We live in Miami. My daughter is going to the french american school in Miami. My daughter is going to start kindergarten. My dad told me that, after that, I should put my daughter in an american school because if she stays in the same school for elementary, education is entirely in French, instruction is complemented by an additional 3 to 9 hours per week of English lessons (determined by the grade). So my dad thinks that the transition to a full american school will be hard for her. is it true? I would think that it must be hard to listen to maths lessons in french, and then suddenly listen to maths lessons in English. I want my daughter to be bilingual, but I also want her to succeed in american studies.

[ourfamily3]

I disagree with your dad from my own personal experiences. I came to the US when I was 10 and knew how to read, write, speak, and understand ONLY Spanish. I was in bilingual class for a few years where my teachers only spoke to me in Spanish and got a few hours a week of ESL (English as Second Language). I pretty much just grasped the English language automatically without much effort and by the 7th grade I made full transition into a all English Class without much effort. So if you want your daughter, and I think is amazing you're doing that by the way to learn French. Keep her in the French school until about 5-6th grade and she will make the transition pretty effortlessly. Also just to add in HS I was an AP English student.

[gahando]

Yeah. I agree with ourfamily3 above.
I came to the US when I was 9, with limited English, and by middle school, I was doing fine with English. You really naturally pick up the language when it surrounds you for the 7 or so hours daily that you're in school (plus the TV shows are in English, video games are in English ...)
I'd be more worried about your daughter losing her French after a couple years.

[Cubanchic]

Please what ever you do KEEP her in her French school with ,additional lessons in English, she will learn it soon enough by living here. Because it is a Latin language you might help her more with Spanish lessons included, she is lung and can absorb this better now.

The major mistake Latin families make with their young kids is not to teach them how to speak proper Spanish while at the same time NOT teach them hot to read, WRITE, and speak proper english.

[Bobdreamz]

Your daughter is 4 years old so she is basically a "sponge" right now when it comes to languages. If you plan on living in Miami or anywhere else in the US she needs to learn English first while at the same time educating her in the French language. Having French being spoken at home is a great benefit since she will retain the language. Many people learn other languages but lose their fluency if they don't communicate on a frequent basis.
I would also suggest she learn Spanish since both French & Spanish are Romanic languages.
Good luck!

[tangelag]

The most important thing at this time is that your daughter have a SOLID FOUNDATION IN FRENCH.

Since French is the home language, your daughter should continue to learn French as she is now. She does NOT NEED TO LEARN ENGLISH FIRST! All research supports this. I am bilingual and have studied second language acquisition for MANY years and I have taught bilingual and monolingual children for over 30 years. A child should have a foundation in LANGUAGE before entering school. That foundation should be in the language of the FAMILY. Since the family language is French her foundation will be built there. Please do not confuse the child.

ourfamily3 is absolutely correct.

Your daughter is very fortunate to have you as parents and the opportunity to attend the French school. The complimentary hours of English sound ideal. She will learn English easier if her French is solid.

Adding Spanish into the mix at this time may be too much. There is time for that, especially since Spanish is more commonly taught and the fact that you are in Miami where Spanish is ubiquitous.

Make sure to consult your child's teachers at the French Academy and learn about the school's philosophy of bilingual education, especially as they begin to integrate English into her curriculum.

Make sure your child is learning her French as expected for her age (that her language skills in general - comprehension/grammar/syntax/lexicon- are age appropriate). Best practices for children who have language deficits would possibly be different.