The Darien Times

Playschool expands with foreign language immersion classes

Last Updated on Thursday, February 16, 2012 03:44 PM Written by The Darien Times
Thursday, February 16, 2012 03:35 PM

Maureen Bloom's Playdates launched foreign language immersion classes for children 2 to 4 years old. The new classes are the by-product of increasing local parent interest and shifting global perspectives, the company said.

Two-hour enrichment classes meet one day per week and are conducted solely in either Spanish or Mandarin by a teacher who is both fluent in the language and has experience teaching young children. Playdates is also offering a Mommy & Me option for 12- to 24-month-olds with their parents/caregivers. Registration for the Spanish Spring 2012 session and the Spanish and Mandarin September 2012–May 2013 sessions is now available.

"We have a magical combination that attracts exceptional teachers and wonderful families," Bloom said. "Over the past couple of years, parents started to ask for a foreign language component. I explored various ways to implement foreign language and became convinced that full immersion was the best method for our children and for taking Playdates' innovative programming to a new level."

At the same time that Bloom was researching foreign language education, so was Darien mother and early education foreign language advocate Karen Christensen. Christensen holds a degree in educational psychology with minors in both Italian and Speech and preprimary certification from Montessori, London. She also taught first grade in an International School in Rome.

"I began looking for an immersion program for my 2-year-old and realized that we do not have one in this area, despite the popularity of these programs throughout the U.S.," Christensen said. "I really wanted to take advantage of the window of opportunity in young children where language acquisition is actually a natural process and acquired passively. I knew of Maureen's impeccable reputation with two's programs and asked if she was interested in partnering with me."

The two women teamed up and put together curriculum and staffing for a pilot class last fall. After the success of the pilot class, Bloom expanded the enrollment for the Winter 2012 session. Within two hours of opening enrollment the class was filled, they said.

Emily Baker, a New Canaan mother of 2-year-old Sam, said she was delighted when she found out about Playdates's foreign language immersion option. "Exposure to a second language at this age is a gift I really wanted Sam to experience," Baker said. "He has enjoyed his Playdates two's program so much I was confident he'd enjoy the language classes, as well. He joined the Spanish class in January and is already greeting his grandma with 'Hola, Abuela!'"

Fall 2012 will see even greater expansion at Playdates with the launch of the Mandarin classes, which will be headed up by experienced Playdates teacher and native Mandarin speaker Cecelia Chung.

New Canaan currently offers an elementary Foreign Language curriculum and the Darien Board of Education passed a vote to put foreign languages in elementary schools. Funding for the program will be voted on this Spring.

But why start so young? Bloom and Christensen point to numerous studies that support bilingualism in young children. For instance, Ellen Bialystok, a distinguished professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, has shown that bilingual children develop crucial skills; in addition to the double vocabularies, they learn different ways to solve logic problems and how to handle multitasking skills that are often considered part of the brain's executive function.

Heather Curran, a Darien mother of 2-year-old Harrison, said she was excited about the class. "My son is having fun and making friends, and he's at the perfect age to learn a foreign language," Curran said. "Playdates' teachers ensure that the program is something my son really looks forward to."

Each class is composed of two trained teachers with six to eight students aged 18 to 36 months. Classes rotate among the children's homes on a biweekly or monthly basis, and meet two or three times per week. The school year runs from September through May. Playdates's offices are at 80 Raymond Street in Darien. More info: 203-505-0502 or visit MBloomPlaydates.com or email maureen@mbloomplaydates.com

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