At what age should my child start a bilingual education?

Research indicates that the brain circuits associated with language learning are more flexible at a young age. That is why at Tessa International School, we start learning French, Spanish or Mandarin as early as 2 years old with 80% of the communication in the target language.

Bilingual Education

Our Immersion and Dual-Language Approaches

At Tessa, our students become fully bilingual thanks to our full-immersion (preschool) or dual-language (primary school) teaching approach in either Spanish, French or Mandarin. In addition to teaching the language, we teach content in the language. All of our teachers are highly qualified educators from all over the world, and are native speakers in the language they are teaching.

1 School, 4 Languages

French, Mandarin & Spanish + English

At Tessa, students are immersed in a target language, and they benefit from a truly multilingual environment that fosters their love of languages.

Full Immersion in Preschool

From Nursery through Kindergarten, students are taught 80% of the time in the target language. Specials such as music, library, science, English enrichment and more- are taught in English. The immersion model allows students to build strong, life-long foundations in the language.

Dual Language in Elementary

Starting in Grade 1, students spend half of the week with their English teacher, and half of the week with their target language teacher. Our educators regularly collaborate to streamline the learning: what is taught in one language is applied in the other language.

“We are extremely happy with our decision sending our daughter to Tessa School. In less than 2 months, she was having conversations in Spanish. Her vocabulary is off the charts. And most importantly for us, she cannot wait to go to school every morning. Tessa is truly onto something special with their system and approach.”

Sofia’s ParentsPreschool Student – Read more parent reviews on Niche.com

French, Mandarin & Spanish Bilingual Tracks

Bilingualism offers proven benefits, such as enhanced cognitive development, better problem-solving abilities, and increased cultural awareness. At Tessa International School, we provide your child with a solid foundation in French, Mandarin, or Spanish, ensuring they can maintain these languages for a lifetime. Learn more about our language immersion tracks below:

French Program

A French immersion school student learning with her teacher

Mandarin Program

A Mandarin immersion school student learning with her teacher

Spanish Program

A Spanish immersion school student learning with his teacher

Our Students’ Got Talent

We asked our students about their opinion on learning languages and about the different languages they speak themselves.

What are the Benefits of a Bilingual Brain?

A bilingual education shows benefits that will be utilized and carried throughout your child’s lifetime. Bilingual instruction is unparalleled to any other learning approach available.

Research indicates that the brain circuits associated with language learning are more flexible at a young age.

That is why at TESSA, we start learning French, Spanish or Mandarin as early as 2 years old with 80% of the communication in the target language.

Infographic-benefits-of-raising-bilingual-kids2

Webinar: The Benefits of Being Bilingual

Why, When and How to teach your child languages? Kathleen Visconti, our Head of School, takes you through the many benefits of bilingualism in her latest webinar. You can download the recording of the session at the following link.

Research on Bilingualism

Highlighting the Benefits of Being Bilingual

by: Christine Boatman

Bilingualism makes executive functioning skills stronger. Researches show that bilingualism can increase math and reading performances.

Do we think differently in different languages?

Video by: BBC Ideas

Bilingualism Will Supercharge Your Baby’s Brain

Video by: Big Think

TED Talk: The benefits of a bilingual brain

Video by: TED Talk

The Benefits of Being Bilingual

Video by: Oh Like That!

Is Bilingualism a Superpower?

Video by: Otherwords

The Mystery of People Who Speak Dozens of Languages

by: Judith Thurman

This article from The New Yorker dives into the world of hyperpolyglots—individuals with an exceptional ability to speak multiple languages fluently. It explores their unique cognitive skills, language acquisition strategies, and the numerous cognitive advantages of being multilingual. This fascinating read uncovers the wonders of language acquisition and its profound impact on the human mind.

Bilingualism May Stave Off Dementia, Study Suggests

by: Jaya Padmanhaban

In this study from the New York Times, people who spoke two languages daily in their youth tended to score higher on memory tests later in life, the researchers found.

Raising kids bilingual can make them more attentive and efficient as adults

by: Cory Stieg

Adults who grew up speaking two different languages can shift their attention between different tasks quicker than those who pick up a second language later in life, according to a new study. This is just one of many cognitive benefits of being bilingual.

Why It’s Smart to Be Bilingual

by: Casey Schwartz

In this Newsweek article, research suggests that high level use of more than one language greatly improves the brain’s executive function in children as young as 3 or 4 years old. The executive function includes many of the brain’s primary activities like controlling impulses and emotions, flexible thinking, developing your working memory, planning and prioritizing tasks, just to name a few. The key point is that in order for these benefits to be truly realized,both languages need to be used on a regular basis, such as a school environment.

Learning a Foreign Language

by: Marisa Cohen

Parents Magazine presents an interesting poll in which57% of parents indicated that “speaking a foreign language was the most critical skill for their child to develop for the future.” With an increasing need to speak more than one language, it is surprising that “only 15% of public elementary schools in the United States teach a foreign language.” There are numerous benefits to speaking two languages. The Journal of Experimental Child Psychology found that toddlers as young as 24 months’ old has already developed superior cognitive skills.

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter

by: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

“Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter.” The New York Times article reports some interesting claims including new research that indicates the cognitive benefits of being multilingual can shield against dementia in old age. Despite age old claims that a second language can cause “interference” in academic and intellectual development; these have not only been proven false, but actually turn out to be “blessing in disguise.” The improved brain function from constantly switching between languages also helps in solving complex mental puzzles, focusing on multiple tasks at once, and more.

The Best Language for Math

By: Sue Shellenbarger

Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Turkish use simpler number words and express math concepts more clearly than English, making it easier for small children to learn counting and arithmetic, research shows.

The language gap is drawing growing attention amid a push by psychologists and educators to build numeracy in small children—the mathematical equivalent of literacy.

Bilingual Education Can Start Preschoolers on Path to Success

by: Lisa Intrabartola

The National Institute for Early Education at the Rutgers’ Graduate School of Education has conducted many studies into the benefits of dual language immersion programs especially with regards to preschool aged children. “That period is considered the critical period where the ear is more in tune to certain sounds. That allows them to learn language as quickly as they do,” Figueras-Daniel said. “It makes sense in pre-school is because 3- and 4-year-olds have not mastered English. They are still experimenting with grammar and the structure of language and are learning new vocabulary every day.”

Check out more articles below to learn about bilingualism and its educational benefits.

Press Articles:

“Le bilinguisme précoce, rempart contre le racisme” (in French) – French Morning (March 2015)
“The “R” spot in the brain of multilingual people” (in English and French) – LFNY Magazine (Fall 2014)
“Les bébés bilingues connaissent la grammaire dès 7 mois” (in French) – Le Point (February 2013)
“Hearing Bilingual: How Babies Sort Out Language” – New York Times (October 2011)
“The Bilingual Advantage” – New York Times (May 2011)
“Bilingual babies cue in to languages” – Science News – Subscribers only (February 2011)
“The linguistic Genius of babies” – Patricia Kuhl – TED Talks (Octobre 2010)
“The neural advantage of speaking two languages” – Scientific American Mind (January 2010)

Books:

“The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature” by Steven Spinker, 2008
“The Infinite Gift: How Children Learn and Unlearn the Languages of the World” by Charles Yang, 2006