Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But I read OP as saying her son does not currently speak any English? If that's true, I would want him in an English speaking daycare to be ready for PK3, which I think would be very hard if the kid went in speaking no English (unless you would only send to an immersion program).

Our preschool is chock full of diplomat/IMF/World Bank kids who spoke no English at all until they started preschool at age 3-4. They all pick it up in a week. And then they go home and speak it to their siblings! So the siblings arrive at school already knowing English even when the parents speak 100% in their native language and don’t allow any English media. English is going to find its way into your kids’ brain no matter what you do, so it shouldn’t be a thing you stress about.

Which preschool?

Anonymous wrote:But I read OP as saying her son does not currently speak any English? If that's true, I would want him in an English speaking daycare to be ready for PK3, which I think would be very hard if the kid went in speaking no English (unless you would only send to an immersion program).

Our preschool is chock full of diplomat/IMF/World Bank kids who spoke no English at all until they started preschool at age 3-4. They all pick it up in a week. And then they go home and speak it to their siblings! So the siblings arrive at school already knowing English even when the parents speak 100% in their native language and don’t allow any English media. English is going to find its way into your kids’ brain no matter what you do, so it shouldn’t be a thing you stress about.

Hi there,

We're also a non-English speaking family and had the same concerns about sending our son to Bambini.

However, we are very happy with our decision to send him to Bambini.

He's picking up some English words regardless and will learn that very quickly in pre-K.

Meanwhile, we feel he's getting a very solid foundation in Spanish that will allow him not to lose it once he goes to an English-speaking pre-K. We'll also keep speaking to him in Spanish at home.

Then there's the issue of the care Bambini offers: it really is one of the best daycares around, and I've toured 4 others and read countless reviews about others.

The teachers are extremely responsible and loving. The daycare's reopening has been a success and done very carefully, and most of the parents I talk to in my son's class are very happy with how things are going.

The director is very reachable, answers emails immediately and communication is very fluid.

The food program is amazing and very healthy!

My son has been going there since he is 9 months old, he's 2.6 years now and his teachers have seen him grow and truly love him.

Hope the feedback is useful.

Anonymous wrote:But I read OP as saying her son does not currently speak any English? If that's true, I would want him in an English speaking daycare to be ready for PK3, which I think would be very hard if the kid went in speaking no English (unless you would only send to an immersion program).

Young children learn languages very quickly, especially when they are surrounded by it. There maybe a transition period but in the end he will be fine. Learning other other languages is an asset and is not detrimental to learning English.

But I read OP as saying her son does not currently speak any English? If that's true, I would want him in an English speaking daycare to be ready for PK3, which I think would be very hard if the kid went in speaking no English (unless you would only send to an immersion program).

+1 to all the great advice. Just as an example, we are at a spanish immersion with tons of kids who only speak hindu at home, or tamil. The kids are all 100000% fluent in English just by living here.

Forget about English for now. It will take over one day and it will never again be the third language. We have a lot of tri-lingual kids in our elementary school and all are doing well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You really need to teach your child english at home as well.

I disagree. Make sure they have a good foundation in your native language, and insist that they speak only that when talking to you. That will become more of a challenge as they grow up and speak English with their peers, so you have to work hard at it.

NP. I think the challenge is if they are speaking Spanish at daycare and a different (non-English) language at home, which is how I interpreted OP's post. How will they learn English in that case? We previously attended a different spanish-immersion daycare and there were a couple families where one parent was a native spanish speaker and mostly talked to their children in spanish, but the other parent always conversed with them in english.

No, the OP is asking if the daycare will have any English or if it will all be Spanish. OP should, as another PP said, ask the daycare.

The first PP's advice is awful and the next PP's reply is spot on. Parents should speak with their children in the language they are most comfortable with. If they don't speak English very well, then they speak less and will use fewer words and the child's language skills will not develop as well. Learning language, any language is the priority.

OP, I spoke only Spanish at home until I started preschool in the US at 3 years old. My older brother didn't get any exposure to English until he was 5. Fast forward a few decades and we speak English with native proficiency, better than our Spanish. We both have advanced degrees and great careers. Totally understand if Spanish immersion is not your preference, but if you are planning to stay in the US, your son will have no problem learning English later in school. The important thing right now is developing language skills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You really need to teach your child english at home as well.

I disagree. Make sure they have a good foundation in your native language, and insist that they speak only that when talking to you. That will become more of a challenge as they grow up and speak English with their peers, so you have to work hard at it.

NP. I think the challenge is if they are speaking Spanish at daycare and a different (non-English) language at home, which is how I interpreted OP's post. How will they learn English in that case? We previously attended a different spanish-immersion daycare and there were a couple families where one parent was a native spanish speaker and mostly talked to their children in spanish, but the other parent always conversed with them in english.

Anonymous wrote:Call and ask them. They may not have openings or even open.

Bambini reopened on June 1st.

Anonymous wrote:You really need to teach your child english at home as well.

I disagree. Make sure they have a good foundation in your native language, and insist that they speak only that when talking to you. That will become more of a challenge as they grow up and speak English with their peers, so you have to work hard at it.

Bambini teachers only speak Spanish to the children. In my personal experience (we are Spanish speakers at home), children who grow up in this country will speak English at a native level regardless of the language spoken at home or at daycare. The challenge is for them not to lose their parent's native languge, so they can be fully bilingual. A language immersion daycare center is great for that purpose. Our daughter was in an immersion setting through Kindergarten, switching to a bilingual setting in first grade, and is fully bilingual now.

One of Bambini’s locations has immediate openings for infants and twos. OP, you need to call them. I looked at their website when we were searching for daycares. They state that they speak Spanish with the kids and the parents need to teach English at home.

Call and ask them. They may not have openings or even open. You really need to teach your child english at home as well.

Hello, I got a new job in DC starting from July 1 and I am looking for a daycare for my two-year-old son. We are immigrants and do not speak English at home. My son only speaks and understands my native language. I hope my son learns English at daycare.

I came across the daycare "Bambini" which seems to have a very good reputation. It says Bambini is a Spanish Immersion Daycare.
My questions: Do Bambini teachers also speak English when they take care of toddlers or do they speak only in Spanish? (Is it a 100% Spanish immersion?)