Reply to Bancroft PS3 OOB

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Current Bancroft parent here with a little advice/forewarning for those dabbling in interest in the school because of its bilingual program.

Bancroft serves a nearly 80% native Spanish speaking low income population. It is not a bilingual school because it's trendy or because middle class parents think it would be cool for their kids to learn a second language and get ahead in life.  It's bilingual because it has to be to better serve these children and their families. Immersion and bilingual ed is super trendy in DC these days, but you should go into this school with your eyes open.

Are you truly interested and willing to engage with the community at Bancroft? Do you have any Spanish language skills yourself? Are you willing to learn them? If you want to be part of the school, and have your child be part of his or her class and school community, will you organize playdates and invite classmates to birthday parties when parents don't speak any English? Are you comfortable with doing this in a real, meaningful way and not as a cultural experiment because it sounds cool for your kid to learn a foreign language at age 3? These are the realities of the school, and it's worth thinking about them before sending your kid for a year or two and then pulling out, as many (even most) middle class families do when they realize that the school takes commitment and work, especially because the teachers and administration are focused on serving a high needs population and, rightly or wrongly, may not prioritize serving high or even moderately achieving kids as much. Last year we attended an orientation with the former principal and she even said this outright.  While she's no longer there, I'd be surprised if this attitude doesn't prevail among many of the teachers and administration.  It is what it is, and it's worth knowing going in. [/quote]
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Thanks for the reasonable response. This is my same concern about Bruce MOnroe. It transitioned to Immersion because it had to.  I think 65% of the kids are ELL.  I am curious though about how your kid did socially. I think the primary benefit of preschool is socialization, in and out of the classroom.  My kid would be one of maybe three non ELL kids in the preschool and the only white one.  Are there issues of exclusion or bullying from the others?   Do all the kids speak spanish to each other outside of the classroom?  I can't imagine there would be any play dates outside of school or birthday parties since most ELL parents work multiple jobs/weekends/don't speak English etc and I want my kid to be able to make some friends and socialize outside the classroom.  Curious what you experienced.[/quote]

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