Bilingual daycare? That's why it can be a good idea

What characteristics should a valid bilingual childcare have and what advantages does it have ?

Cultural benefits of bilingual daycare

Bilingualism goes hand in hand with biculturalism and, especially if it is precocious, it widens the so-called "comfort zone", that is, the ability to feel comfortable even in new situations, different from those already known.

The practical utility of knowing and using two or more languages is clear to all of us. Unfortunately, school curricula often do not allow, for other reasons, to develop in-depth linguistic competence in several languages. Many parents also wonder if exposing their children to more than one language when they are very young could be counterproductive.

What does the term early bilingualism mean?

When we talk about early bilingualism, we refer to the acquisition of two languages in an age range between 0 and 6 years old, but with possible extensions up to ten years old (and in any case before adolescence).

Are the languages used by a bilingual completely equivalent?

Bilingualism is only very rarely balanced, that is to say that the skills in known languages are perfectly equivalent. It is a complex process in which various extra-linguistic variables come into play, including those of a social, psychological and affective nature. As these variables change, the balance between known languages may also change.

So what happens in practice?

It could be defined to simplify a kind of hierarchy of languages with a different degree of competence consequent in each of them. Take the example of a child who speaks French at home and English at daycare; this second language can become the language of schooling and socialization outside the family. But even in periods of a few weeks in English-speaking contexts, English rapidly increases its place in the individual's linguistic repertoire.

why should we enroll our child to bilingual daycare

We often hear that several languages can lead to learning delays; is this true from a scientific point of view?

If we start from an empirical postulate, we understand that the answer is negative: global bilingualism, or rather plurilingualism, is the norm and not the exception. Canada itself is a strongly multilingual country, both individually and socially, mainly thanks to the presence of dialects, which are autonomous languages. It is therefore obvious that to believe that several languages can delay learning would be equivalent to believing that the majority of the world's population has somehow slowed down learning.

But is a bilingual daycare enough to master several language systems?

The answer is complex. Neurolinguistic studies show that to speak of a certain form of early bilingualism, the child must be exposed to the "other" language (whatever it is) for no less than 30 minutes a day. This is why you have to be very careful when you decide to enroll your children in a childcare center that claims to be bilingual, especially if it is a kindergarten (0-3 years old) or preschool (3-6 years old). ). If the training offer mentions workshops in or in a foreign language, perhaps concentrated on one or two days a week, it is clear that the criterion of continuous exposure is not respected and therefore the results will be limited. It is important that exposure and practice be daily, progressive and motivating.

In kindergarten, which aspects of the language should you work on the most?

Very young children learn the world through their senses with highly developed neurosensory receptivity. It is therefore essential to present the language by providing a maximum of concrete elements to make them associate the meaning of the words they hear with what they experience with the senses. Naturally, the approach is totally based on oral skills, immersing very young learners in active listening and gradually stimulating oral expression. It is also essential to provide a natural and authentic linguistic input, making sure to implement strategies and proposing activities adapted from the point of view of language teaching.

Why can sending your child to a bilingual kindergarten be a good idea?

The young child makes no effort to acquire two languages simultaneously and finds himself in this time window where he can learn the language at very high qualitative (for example: pronunciation) and quantitative (for example: vocabulary) levels, on equal terms. a native speaker. Another advantage is represented by the development of a greater communicative sensitivity which will lead children to be particularly adept at grasping the conceptual distinctions within speech.

To maintain bilingual competence, is it advisable to continue with bilingual schools?

Yes, or in any case have abundant and continuous linguistic immersion opportunities. Language needs to be nurtured and practiced, it is not a skill that remains unchanged once acquired if not used. It should also be emphasized that for the course to be optimal, it is essential that teachers be trained in the processes and methods of teaching and learning the language. Being a native speaker or having an advanced level of communicative skill is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a successful trip.

There are several kindergartens that offer a bilingual approach; how is your project innovative?

First of all, a strong interconnection between the experimentation in the field and the research that we conduct, so that the results and the operational interventions that result from it find a response and an almost immediate application in the classroom. Then there is the involvement of the families: the parents of the children, or someone on their behalf, are sensitized, trained and involved throughout the process (regardless of their command of the foreign language) so that there is always have continuity between school and family and, above all, a shared vision of the objectives to be pursued, which must in no case be too high to avoid the appearance of pressure and anxiety in the children.