Vamos! Growing Up Global Comes to Fort Greene

Almost as soon as they say their first word, some local children are learning their second language.

Lango Brooklyn, in conjunction with Families with Children from China, held their World Brooklyn-Growing Up Global event at The Co-op School. With several local language programs participating including Brooklyn Beanstalk and Musica Para Mi,  over 20 children, most of whom were under the age of five, enjoyed the afternoon of games and music in languages including Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese.

“Brooklyn has become so multicultural that a walk around the block is a walk around the world,” said Sharon Ng, Area Director at Lango Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. “It’s an amazing area to be a part of.”

The event began with Stephanie Larriere, co-owner of Brooklyn Beanstalk, reading a French children’s story called abracadanoir. The focus switched to Spanish afterwards with a Spanish-English puppet show from P is for Puppets, a Spanish music class from Musica Para Mi, and a Spanish music concert from Bilingual Birdies.

The afternoon ended with a screening of Speaking Tongues, a documentary following four diverse children that are placed in public schools where, from the first day of kindergarten, their teachers speak mostly Chinese or Spanish.

In addition, Chinese kite making sessions were provided by Lango Brooklyn.

“We just want to use events like this as a resource for parents,” said Ng. “There are so many families in the area who are committed to having their children become bilingual, so it’s a great chance to have them meet one another and arrange for their kids to play.”

Multiple studies have been published that demonstrate the benefits of children learning a second language, including cognitive development that results in higher test scores later in life. However, there has been a significant push in recent years of families exposing their children to languages at younger ages.

“By the time a child’s first words come out, they’ve already absorbed the structure of their first language,” said Graciela Carriqui, Director of Musica Para Mi. “Some people think to teach an infant or a toddler a second language is too soon, but that’s exactly when they will benefit the most from it.”

Laverne Maison of Queens, one of the parents who attended the event, has been driving her 2.5 year old daughter, Savannah, to weekly Mandarin classes in Prospect Heights for the last six months. In addition, she has also enrolled Savannah at a Chinese day care center in Flushing.

“She can count to 10 and speak some basic phrases in Mandarin,” said Maison. “I studied French as a second language growing up and wanted my daughter to be bilingual, but my sister felt Mandarin was the language of the future. It was a concern to have her learning a language that I couldn’t help with, but she’s picked it up quickly.”

Ng says she hopes to continue using events like this as a way for bilingual families to unite.

“Even for the most savvy of parents, it can be really difficult to find information about bilingual programs for children, or where to look for bilingual nannies and schools,” said Ng. “We want to continue being a resource, but from a Brooklyn perspective.”