Spanish Immersion Preschool / Daycare

[flyers29]

Originally Posted by michgc

Well, first of all, Mandarin is a much harder language to learn than Spanish, and it is harder to find someone to teach it. But secondly, learning Spanish isn't just for ordering at fast food restaurants. If you were to open a business, it would be really handy and financially beneficial to be able to speak to many of your customers. Otherwise, you might need to hire someone who can speak Spanish. Having that second language can help you land a job or command better pay as a nurse, a teacher, an attorney, a translator, a realtor, a business person, etc. I cannot imagine any cons to learning a second language other than the time or expense that it takes to learn it. And if one is already looking for day care, and children easily pick up a second language, it negates the cons. There are only positives to being bilingual or multilingual.

I realize that Spanish is "useful," but in many parts of the country this is only because we are accommodating a group who won't learn the local language. And as I said, unless you're in certain parts of the country where you're likely to do business with people in Spanish-speaking countries, the burden should not be on you to learn the second language.

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by flyers29

Thank you. I see the value in learning, say, Chinese for the sake of being multilingual, but Spanish-speaking countries aren't exactly a burgeoning thing in the global marketplace. Unless you plan to move to Miami or San Antonio and work with Latin America (which, who knows that when they're 6 y/o?), then learning Spanish for the sake of learning a second language will probably only prove useful when ordering at Burger King.

Bring on the "noooo, that's ignooranttt...." comments.

How narrow minded! Broaden your thinking! Besides ordering at Burger King and McDonald's, one can also tell the lawnscapers exactly how long to cut the grass! Then there's the whole matter of getting in good with the housekeeping crew at work as well as flinging insults back at the guys hanging at 7-11 when they scream "Hey babeee... I got sometin' for yuooooooo!"

[eyeball]

Originally Posted by Workin_Hard

How narrow minded! Broaden your thinking! Besides ordering at Burger King and McDonald's, one can also tell the lawnscapers exactly how long to cut the grass! Then there's the whole matter of getting in good with the housekeeping crew at work as well as flinging insults back at the guys hanging at 7-11 when they scream "Hey babeee... I got sometin' for yuooooooo!"

Being able to communicate effectively with contractors can save you a ton of heartache.

[athousandlogins]

To answer the OP's actual question: CommuniKids does this.

[michgc]

Originally Posted by flyers29

I realize that Spanish is "useful," but in many parts of the country this is only because we are accommodating a group who won't learn the local language. And as I said, unless you're in certain parts of the country where you're likely to do business with people in Spanish-speaking countries, the burden should not be on you to learn the second language.

The "burden" is not on you to learn it. You can get by just fine with English. But it makes good business and financial sense to learn a language that a large portion of the country speaks, whether you think they should be speaking that language or not. No one is forcing anyone to learn a second language. But those who do so are going to be more in demand in the workplace.

Besides making financial sense, it is a great skill to have. Once you learn a second language, it makes it easier to learn a third language, a fourth language, etc. Once someone knows Spanish, for example, Italian or French is easier to learn. Knowing a second Germanic language also helps with vocabulary. And when traveling, learning a second or third language makes it much easier to communicate and get around.

The ease with which a child picks up a second language makes it very appealing to parents because it helps ensure that the child will have a marketable, useful skill when he/she is older.