In the book, Critical Issues in Early Second Language Learning: Building for Our Children’s Future Myriam Met collected a series of essays and studies on foreign language study in early childhood (abstract).

In sum, the essays assert that learning a second language at an early age…

• Has a positive effect on intellectual growth.
• Enriches and enhances a child’s mental development.
• Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening.
• Improves a child’s understanding of his or her native language.
• Gives a child the ability to communicate with people he or she would otherwise not have had the chance to know.
• Opens the door to other cultures and helps the child understand and appreciate people from other countries.
• Gives the child a head start in language requirements for college.
• Increases job opportunities in many careers in which knowing another language is a real asset.

An interesting point that is made in the book is that skills in more traditional disciplines like math and English do not suffer as a result of the time taken away for language study.  In fact, the contrary was found to be true.

The book does not make much of a distinction about whether these benefits are more pronounced with an immersion program or not.  I tend to think that if you care about having your child learn and retain another language, immersion is the best method.  Given these benefits, I was somewhat surprised to learn that only a few area schools offer language immersion programs.  The only elementary schools in the Greater Philadelphia region that I know of that offer elementary school language immersion are (alphabetically):

• Folk Arts Cultural Treasures (FACTS) Charter School (Chinese, Philadelphia Charter)
• French International School of Philadelphia (French, Bala Cynwyd Private)
• Independence Charter (Spanish, Philadelphia Charter)
• Perelman Jewish Day School (Hebrew, Wynnewood and Melrose Park Private Religiously Affiliated)
• YingHua International School (Chinese, Lawrenceville and Princeton, NJ Private School)

Please let me know if I left any out.

Personally, it is important to me that my kids have exposure to another language at an early age.  Immersion programs are attractive to me, but not essential.  A school that has no foreign language programs in the early grades may automatically be taken off of the list of schools that I am considering.

Related Posts:

• Beyond the Usual Suspects II
• Beyond the Usual Suspects
• Why I Chose Friends Select: 2011-01-17 School Selection Report
• Types of Philadelphia Elementary Schools
• Why I Chose French International School of Philadelphia: 2011-02-25 School Selection Report