Arabic Immersion Preschool in the DC Metro Area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AlefB runs a fantastic enrichment program on the weekends. Two hours and the families get together outside of school. It is really nice. Classes meet on the campus of Marymount University.

Another one I didn't know about! Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

This isn't a preschool, but Language Stars just started offering Arabic too.

Putting this out there in case it's helpful to anyone. . .

[Anonymous]

Not OP but DH and I are trying to get pregnant and my biggest worry is that our future children will not be able to speak Arabic fluently. I'm curious - is there any interest in starting a bilingual Arabic-English preschool in the DC metro area? If there isn't we should figure out how to start one!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but DH and I are trying to get pregnant and my biggest worry is that our future children will not be able to speak Arabic fluently. I'm curious - is there any interest in starting a bilingual Arabic-English preschool in the DC metro area? If there isn't we should figure out how to start one!

The only public Arabic immersion charter school I know of is (was) in Brooklyn and there was a lot of backlash. I think the school got off the ground, but there was a lot of intense political opposition. I would imagine the same thing would happen if an Arabic school tried to get started in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but DH and I are trying to get pregnant and my biggest worry is that our future children will not be able to speak Arabic fluently. I'm curious - is there any interest in starting a bilingual Arabic-English preschool in the DC metro area? If there isn't we should figure out how to start one!

The only public Arabic immersion charter school I know of is (was) in Brooklyn and there was a lot of backlash. I think the school got off the ground, but there was a lot of intense political opposition. I would imagine the same thing would happen if an Arabic school tried to get started in DC.

Yeah but that was a charter school using public money. A preschool would be private. There are many Islamic preschools here and there has been no backlash. Problem with Islamic preschools is that there is very little Arabic - and when there is, it is usually in a religious context only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how would you envision an immersion program for a big group of two year olds?

Not OP, but a PP. I wanted immersion, too. I expected the teacher would get on the floor and play with the kids. Dollhouse, trains, cars, farm animals, etc., and just speak in Arabic. Sing songs. Do "Simon Says" in Arabic.

But what I found was flash cards. Maybe some 2 year olds do well with flash cards, but I knew that would do nothing for my kid. So I kept looking...

OP here - I agree. Yes there should be reading and writing in Arabic but more importantly I think play time should be in Arabic as well as songs etc. I would prefer a dual immersion school as that is how I was raised. Have of the day would be conducted exclusively in Arabic and the other half in English. The schools that teach Arabic here seem to only focus on the Quran. Arabic should be taught as a living language and not one that is just to be used for a religious text.

Abjadiyah in Potomac is not religious and is taught as a heritage language. But it's not immersion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but DH and I are trying to get pregnant and my biggest worry is that our future children will not be able to speak Arabic fluently. I'm curious - is there any interest in starting a bilingual Arabic-English preschool in the DC metro area? If there isn't we should figure out how to start one!

The only public Arabic immersion charter school I know of is (was) in Brooklyn and there was a lot of backlash. I think the school got off the ground, but there was a lot of intense political opposition. I would imagine the same thing would happen if an Arabic school tried to get started in DC.

Yeah but that was a charter school using public money. A preschool would be private. There are many Islamic preschools here and there has been no backlash. Problem with Islamic preschools is that there is very little Arabic - and when there is, it is usually in a religious context only.

Isn't the Saudi government providing the funding and thus the stipulation that their brand of Islam will prevail?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but DH and I are trying to get pregnant and my biggest worry is that our future children will not be able to speak Arabic fluently. I'm curious - is there any interest in starting a bilingual Arabic-English preschool in the DC metro area? If there isn't we should figure out how to start one!

The only public Arabic immersion charter school I know of is (was) in Brooklyn and there was a lot of backlash. I think the school got off the ground, but there was a lot of intense political opposition. I would imagine the same thing would happen if an Arabic school tried to get started in DC.

Yeah but that was a charter school using public money. A preschool would be private. There are many Islamic preschools here and there has been no backlash. Problem with Islamic preschools is that there is very little Arabic - and when there is, it is usually in a religious context only.

Isn't the Saudi government providing the funding and thus the stipulation that their brand of Islam will prevail?

Many, not all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but DH and I are trying to get pregnant and my biggest worry is that our future children will not be able to speak Arabic fluently. I'm curious - is there any interest in starting a bilingual Arabic-English preschool in the DC metro area? If there isn't we should figure out how to start one!

The only public Arabic immersion charter school I know of is (was) in Brooklyn and there was a lot of backlash. I think the school got off the ground, but there was a lot of intense political opposition. I would imagine the same thing would happen if an Arabic school tried to get started in DC.

Yeah but that was a charter school using public money. A preschool would be private. There are many Islamic preschools here and there has been no backlash. Problem with Islamic preschools is that there is very little Arabic - and when there is, it is usually in a religious context only.

Isn't the Saudi government providing the funding and thus the stipulation that their brand of Islam will prevail?

Funding for what? The Brooklyn school is a public school so religion is not taught. Regarding Islamic preschools, a lot of mosques (and by extension their preschools) are partially funded by saudi money - not necessarily the government, mostly rich donors. Most donors do not stipulate what brand of islam should be taught - that really depends on the community. Wahabbi teachings have permeated mainstream islam though in the 20th and 21st century simply because . wahabbism is backed by the richest government in the Middle East. Of course the US plays a great role in spreading Wahabbi teachings by backing its ally Saudi Arabia's funding of extremist movements (such as in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and now in Syria). Of course it always ends up biting the Americans in the back. Anyhow a secular arabic preschool would be nice

[Anonymous]

Any and all Saudi finding in our schools is for the purpose of promoting Sharia Islamic control of the children, imo, just like they do in Saudi Arabia. These poor children are at risk, just as they are in Saudi Arabia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any and all Saudi finding in our schools is for the purpose of promoting Sharia Islamic control of the children, imo, just like they do in Saudi Arabia. These poor children are at risk, just as they are in Saudi Arabia.

All religious schools are like that. They indoctrinate the kids I to the religion of their parents' choosing. It's very hard to bite my tongue when my friend is so proud of her four year old reciting Bible verses, and how she punishes her when she messes up. But then, I think any religious education for such young children is out of line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any and all Saudi finding in our schools is for the purpose of promoting Sharia Islamic control of the children, imo, just like they do in Saudi Arabia. These poor children are at risk, just as they are in Saudi Arabia.

All religious schools are like that. They indoctrinate the kids I to the religion of their parents' choosing. It's very hard to bite my tongue when my friend is so proud of her four year old reciting Bible verses, and how she punishes her when she messes up. But then, I think any religious education for such young children is out of line.

I hope the little Bible child doesn't get her rectum ripped open, tortured, raped, and murdered by her own religious scholar father, who is a tv celebrity promoted by his government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any and all Saudi finding in our schools is for the purpose of promoting Sharia Islamic control of the children, imo, just like they do in Saudi Arabia. These poor children are at risk, just as they are in Saudi Arabia.

All religious schools are like that. They indoctrinate the kids I to the religion of their parents' choosing. It's very hard to bite my tongue when my friend is so proud of her four year old reciting Bible verses, and how she punishes her when she messes up. But then, I think any religious education for such young children is out of line.

I hope the little Bible child doesn't get her rectum ripped open, tortured, raped, and murdered by her own religious scholar father, who is a tv celebrity promoted by his government.

Well, that's a pointless red herring statement about Islamic preschools. Should we shut down Christian schools because of that pastor who was "raping the gay away" from underaged boys? He didn't get any jail time either. Or that whole Warren Jeffs thing. Maybe you are right, let's outlaw all religious schools based on the actions of other adherents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any and all Saudi finding in our schools is for the purpose of promoting Sharia Islamic control of the children, imo, just like they do in Saudi Arabia. These poor children are at risk, just as they are in Saudi Arabia.

All religious schools are like that. They indoctrinate the kids I to the religion of their parents' choosing. It's very hard to bite my tongue when my friend is so proud of her four year old reciting Bible verses, and how she punishes her when she messes up. But then, I think any religious education for such young children is out of line.

I hope the little Bible child doesn't get her rectum ripped open, tortured, raped, and murdered by her own religious scholar father, who is a tv celebrity promoted by his government.

Well, that's a pointless red herring statement about Islamic preschools. Should we shut down Christian schools because of that pastor who was "raping the gay away" from underaged boys? He didn't get any jail time either. Or that whole Warren Jeffs thing. Maybe you are right, let's outlaw all religious schools based on the actions of other adherents.

Do you like how the Saudi government practices Islam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any and all Saudi finding in our schools is for the purpose of promoting Sharia Islamic control of the children, imo, just like they do in Saudi Arabia. These poor children are at risk, just as they are in Saudi Arabia.

All religious schools are like that. They indoctrinate the kids I to the religion of their parents' choosing. It's very hard to bite my tongue when my friend is so proud of her four year old reciting Bible verses, and how she punishes her when she messes up. But then, I think any religious education for such young children is out of line.

I hope the little Bible child doesn't get her rectum ripped open, tortured, raped, and murdered by her own religious scholar father, who is a tv celebrity promoted by his government.

Well, that's a pointless red herring statement about Islamic preschools. Should we shut down Christian schools because of that pastor who was "raping the gay away" from underaged boys? He didn't get any jail time either. Or that whole Warren Jeffs thing. Maybe you are right, let's outlaw all religious schools based on the actions of other adherents.

Do you like how the Saudi government practices Islam?

No.