In Boulder County, parents can enter their children in a lottery to attend any public school in the area. Kids are guaranteed a spot in their neighborhood school, but if another school feels like a better fit, they can try for open enrollment elsewhere.
My husband and I decided several years ago that we wanted Griffin to attend Escuela Bilingue Pioneer, the county's Spanish-English immersion elementary school (which is, fortuitously, right here in Lafayette three blocks from our house--while our assigned "neighborhood" school is on the other side of town). But we knew that even if we tried to open enroll him for kindergarten at Pioneer, there was no guarantee that his name would get picked out of the hat, especially since the school keeps the percentage of native speakers of English and native speakers of Spanish even--surely more than ~25 anglophone kids in the entire county would be hoping to enroll in kindergarten at the same time as Griffin!
Then we heard that there is a bilingual preschool program at the school and that students who attend are guaranteed admission to the elementary school, so we applied last year. And Griffin spent 2011 on the waiting list to no avail. When we reapplied early this year, he didn't make it in the first round of placements, but then we got a call last week saying that other admitted preschoolers had declined, enough that there would be room for Griffin after all.
I'm thrilled--beyond thrilled--especially since we know now that it's a sure thing. I was anticipating having to wait until August to find out if he'd move up high enough on the list, and then having to scramble to figure out how to arrange daycare around it (as my Reading Buddies sessions take place after school lets out in the afternoon, we still need to have someone take care of the kids regardless of Griffin's time in preschool).
I was also delighted to learn that the four-day-a-week preschool runs Tuesdays through Fridays, which means that Griffin can continue to attend French playgroup on Monday mornings!
We don't know what this will mean for Griffin's French--we hope that Spanish will complement it rather than replace it--but for now I'll keep immersing him in French at home and in the car. (And maybe we can look into hiring a francophone nanny to take care of both children instead of sending them to daycare!)
that is great news! felicitaciones!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Our daughter is a first grader dual-immersion Spanish-English program in Utah, and we LOVE it. Since we lived in France for a year when she was 3-4, she had an adorable French pronunciation while speaking Spanish for quite a while, rolling her "r"s all the way in the back of her throat. While we didn't manage to keep up the French, it's really wonderful to be communicating with our kids in a second language once more. My guess is that if you keep working with Griffin in French, he'll maintain much more. Our family somewhat intentionally switched over since my husband and I are both fairly fluent in Spanish. We weren't very consistent in using French once we came back to the States, so our kids were already losing ground linguistically. It's been much easier this time around with all of the reinforcement at school and in the community.
ReplyDeleteI've been told I speak Spanish with a French accent (which is not nearly as endearing as when it's a little girl doing so!).
DeleteI'm glad to hear that your family has had such a positive experience with the immersion school--and how wonderful that you and your husband can support it at home!
I do plan to keep barraging Griffin with French, and my fingers are crossed that when Gwyneth starts speaking, he'll be especially motivated to use French with her as a "secret language."
How exciting! Glad to know that bilingual primary education is flourishing in the States, hope that means it will eventually catch on here in Japan!
ReplyDeleteAw, that's awesome! I would have loved for Adana to go to Pioneer. I hope it turns out to be a wonderful experience for all of you!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting. I would love such an opportunity. We are on waiting lists too. We should find out soon.
ReplyDeleteGo for the French nanny! Great option if you can afford it and find a nice one!
Good luck to you--I hope it works out!
DeleteIf I can find a francophone nanny who comes with solid recommendations and doesn't charge more than the daycare that the kids currently attend, then that'll be an easy decision....
Our Liam Miguel speaks Spanish and English at home and French at the halte garderie here in Paris. It's fun to see what words come out in what language. Lots of kids add a third language without losing the others.... Suerte!
ReplyDeleteThat's so encouraging, Ashley--thanks for sharing. I just took a look at your website and want to read your books now! I can't believe that you're teaching, writing (and not just writing, but publishing), parenting, AND living in Paris. You're an inspiration! Liam Miguel is a lucky little guy to have three languages at such a young age.
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