Concerns re. sending 8 month baby to bi-lingual day nursery Post Reply

[beachview]

Hello there,

In preparation for my return to work I am trying to decide on the right day nursery for my son who is nearly 8 months old. The most local nursery which we like is bi-lingual (french/english). Whilst I speak some french, my husband speaks none and realistically we won't be speaking french at home otherwise.

I have concerns about whether my son will have delayed speech development over the coming months/years if he is exposed to a very french environment (they say it's 50/50 but it does seem to be more french as all mornings are in french). For example, the songs they sing will be french and then he won't know the songs I sing (badly!) to him. Silly things like this really worry me.

I know a bi-lingual approach can be fantastic for some children and especially when there are two languages spoken by the parents. However I do worry that there will be two worlds - nursery and home - and he'll be spending 4 days/week and say 11 hours a day in an french environment.

Does any one have any first hand experience or expertise they can share?

If there is a chance of delayed speech or confusion I would rather we went for another nursery for peace of mind even if that then means less convenience as there is a lovely one a bit further away.

I'd appreciate any thoughts people have.

Thanks
A.

[BalhamMumWorkingFT]

I am not sure how much a bi-lingual nursery will help your child learn French if you don't speak it at home. I also don't think a speech delay would necessarily be because of this exposure.

Having a speech delayed child myself (actually 2 of them) and only speaking English in our house... makes me think a delay would probably be because of something else going on. I have a few friends that are truly bi-lingual in their houses and yes, there kids speak slightly later but no one is raising any red flags about their development.

I understand your concern and I'd ask other Mums there in your situation. I am sure the staff can point you to them.

[monaco]

My daughter is bilingual (I'm French, my husband is English). She went to an English nursery but I was (and still am) speaking French to her all the time.

She had no speech delay at all. Went through all the regular stages like any mono-lingual child.

Therefore, I would think that your baby wouldn't be affected by the bilingual nursery, especially if you don't speak French at home.

[pearlywhite]

I personally had no issues being raised through the medium of English at home and then being exposed to another language (Welsh) via my childminder and playgroup. In fact I was a ridiculously chatty child with no delays of any kind.

My brothers took a little longer to speak under exactly the same circumstances, and my sister was very quick to speak in both languages!

It is well documented that some bilingual children take a little longer to speak in both languages, but apparently this is not due to confusion. They know who to speak to in which language but just have a lot more information to assimilate. The aim is consistency. I know a five year old who speaks five languages! One each from parents at home, another two in school, and the fifth through his nanny and her friends!

Children are remarkably capable, and the benefits of bilingualism extend far beyond the realms of just language.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll make the best decision for your family

[morasmum]

We are raising biligual kids: only spanish spoken at home and a regular english speaking nursery.

So far there has been no noticeable speech development delay. We were told to expect a 6-ish month delay compare to monolingual children, but so far this has not been the case. Our toddler's "set of spanish words" is similar to the "set of english ones" in terms of size. Even though there is no english media at home available: books, songs or videos, the set of english words, all learned at nursery, is right on track.

I believe any interaction with another language is a plus for your child.

Good luck with you decision.

[maddy.kidsunlimited]

Hello,

I work for kidsunlimited nurseries and we think that teaching children another language is a brilliant experience which offers enormous opportunities and enjoyment.

I have found that instead of delayed speech or confusion speaking two languages can actually improve a child’s literary skills and gives bilingual children an advantage in learning to read. Exposure to more than one language is an excellent way of flexing those brain muscles and building them up. For children, the feeling of accomplishment that comes with their first steps toward a second language can ignite in them a deeper and broader passion for learning in general.

The DfE’s research found that learning a second language "develops self-confidence, enthusiasm, curiosity for languages …" Numerous reports have proven that students who have studied a foreign language perform much better than their monolingual peers on many standardized tests.

Children frequently mimic what they hear, and they are surprisingly good at it! They are uniquely sensitive to slight differences in tone and sound. Their ears are well attuned to picking up and duplicating the tricky sounds which adults and even adolescents often find tough to master.

Within the kidsunlimited group of nurseries we teach many different languages such as Mandarin, French, Spanish and Portuguese and we find this to be an excellent activity which helps children flourish as well as being something they thoroughly enjoy.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[Balham10]

Hi,
Not sure if im too late but we have sent two of our daughters to a french / english nursery while only speaking english at home. I have only good things to say about our experience. If youd like to know more do message me.
Claire