Hingham to launch Spanish immersion pilot program for preschoolers this fall
HINGHAM – A first-of-its-kind Spanish immersion program for Hingham preschoolers will instruct students 80% in Spanish and 20% in English is set to start this fall.
This full-day pilot program will run from September to June of 2024 and will have lottery-based admissions. The hours for the program are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Foster Elementary School.
This will be the first language immersion program for Hingham Public Schools. World language department director Erica Pollard said the idea to create the program came about last fall, and pointed to more than 70 years of research on what immersion does for the brain.
“I have always wanted to do an immersion program, it seemed like a really good time," she said. "We also think that there’s an appetite in the community for people to really be excited about this kind of programming."
2023: Here are the high-profile South Shore court cases that could go to trial this year
Bulldogs are top dogs right now: South Shore High School Boys Hockey Top 10 Ranking
The class will follow a partial immersion model. Students will receive instruction in early literacy in English, while other instruction will take place in Spanish. She highlighted that, during the early stages of the class, one teacher will only speak Spanish but there will also be a teacher speaking English present. In the beginning, the teacher will be speaking in Spanish and students will respond in English.
The curriculum will build upon nine monthly themes for the year and students will engage in arts, literacy and math activities that are aligned with the themes. Research shows that immersion programs are beneficial for students’ cognitive growth, for their English language development and for their second language development, Pollard said.
Throughout the day, students will have the opportunity for outdoor activities, dramatic play, reading and story time in Spanish
“There’s all kinds of research that shows that early childhood immersion is one of the most effective ways to learn a language, students not only end up with a higher level of proficiency in the second language that they’re learning …there are a lot of cognitive benefits that go along with learning a second language,” she said. “Preschool is a great time to leverage how flexible kids' brains are to help them learn,” she said.
'Delicious, authentic': A taste of Mexico at new Don Bravo in Marshfield
Braintree: Developer wants to build 500 apartments on South Shore Plaza property
Pollard said she envisions the pilot class will lead to an immersion experience in elementary school
“I’m hopeful that this will set in motion more immersion programs to come, fingers crossed,” she said.
Children who live in Hingham and will be 4 years old by Aug. 31, 2023, are eligible to enroll.
An in-person information session will be held Jan. 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Foster Elementary and a virtual meeting will take place Jan. 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom. The Zoom link will be posted on the Hingham Public Schools website.
Registration for the program will began on Jan. 23. The enrollment deadline for the program is Feb. 15.
To register, click here.
Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.
Reach Joel Barnes at jkbarnes@patriotledger.com
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hingham schools to launch language immersion program for preschoolers
