Why immersion and why Mandarin Chinese?

  • Research shows that the best time to learn a language is in early childhood, when speech patterns are still fluid and a child can easily adopt non-native speech patterns and sounds. Knowing a foreign language is proven to improve job prospects in adulthood, and research supports that multilingual adults display a greater cognitive flexibility than their monolingual peers.

     
    Students in immersion programs also out-score their non-immersion peers on state standardized exams. Immersion is a proven method to learn a language quickly and accurately, with results far superior to foreign language instruction of only an hour a day, or an hour a week. Children in immersion programs demonstrate near native fluency in their target language ability, and are able to engage in discourse on a far wider range of topics than their non-immersion counterparts. Children in immersion programs benefit from "additive bilingualism," meaning they can learn a second (or third, etc) language at NO COST to their native language; students learning Mandarin Chinese will not lose their English or Spanish ability. 
     
    China is the second largest economy on the planet, and figures prominently in US foreign relations, both now and in the future. Mandarin Chinese is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, and is the official language of many of the US' trading partners. Students who learn Mandarin Chinese in their elementary years will be better equipped to succeed in their adult careers, both through their fluency in Mandarin Chinese and their comfort operating in Chinese culture.
     
    Benefits of Immersion Program: