Editor’s Note: For information on home school programs, check out this post about Little Pim
In a multicultural and global center like New York, learning a second—or third!—language is an increasingly common part of childhood. For toddlers and tweens alike, there are age-appropriate classes, camps, and day schools for children who want to grow up bilingual.
ABC Languages
ABC Languages is a locally- and women-owned business that has been serving New York for over 15 years. ABC provides private language instruction to children of all ages. The curriculum is designed to fit the students’ particular needs, and classes can be held at ABC’s location near Penn Station or at the student’s home. ABC also works with public and private schools throughout the city to provide top-notch afterschool programs. abclang.com
Avenues
Students in Avenues’ Early Learning Center and Lower School learn either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish through half-day or partial immersion. This summer, Avenues’ world language faculty are offering immersion camps for students of all abilities from grades pre-K-12. The camps will offer language instruction while incorporating summer fun and the city’s vast learning resources. avenues.org
Baby Fingers
At Baby Fingers, kids learn American Sign Language through songs and play. Watch in awe as your child discovers the world of language. See the research come to life, as music and sign language both aid in the development of language and literacy. Baby Fingers also offers family yoga and infant massage for overall health and development. mybabyfingers.com
Bank Street
The Spanish Immersion program at the Bank Street Summer Camp is unlike any other language program in New York, not only because it fully immerses campers within the language by challenging them to only speak Spanish with the counselors, but also because the program operates within the progressive philosophy and pedagogy of the Bank Street School for Children. The focus is always on the development of receptive and expressive language skills, while creating a positive educational experience through a variety of engaging and interactive activities. bankstreet.edu
Bilingual Birdies
Have a blast learning Spanish, Mandarin, French, Hebrew, or English with Bilingual Birdies. Think: guitar, a hip bilingual musician, and a bubble dance party—all ready to rock your kid’s world. Bilingual Birdies promises 45 minutes of effective language fun through upbeat music, movement, and puppetry. Your adventure continues with a vocab sheet and original music CD for more educational inspiration at home. Enroll in classes or make your own in-home private session with friends now. Perfect for ages 0-5 years. bilingualbirdies.com
Bilingual Buds
Bilingual Buds is a Mandarin/English immersion school. Their rigorous curriculum, for students ages 2 through grade 5, is taught in a warm and supportive environment. The new Elementary Integration Program provides students who do not yet have Mandarin language skills with temporary academic support. They also offer immersion after school, summer camp, and a summer camp experience in China. bilingualbuds.com
Bonjour New York
A child who learns French with Bonjour New York doesn’t simply repeat sentences while sitting at a desk. He or she is engaged in an exciting immersion world. Join them for their summer camp and afterschool programs and learn French the right way. bonjourny.com
Carousel of Languages
Carousel of Languages enriches the minds and spirits of young children through the discovery of a foreign language. They offer small, multi-sensory classes in Spanish, Italian, French, Mandarin, Russian, English, and Hebrew for children ages 6 months to 8 years. Educational products include alphabet posters (available on amazon.com) and a complimentary Coloring Alphabet app from iTunes! carousellanguages.com
Collina Italiana
Girotondo is a year-round kids’ program that offers comprehensive language learning and hands-on instruction in the arts to children from ages 2-5. In Girotondo (“Circle”) an experienced native instructor provides opportunities for kids to learn Italian through play and activities. Giardino dei Bambini is a morning drop-off playgroup at CI for kids ages 2-5. Children may join in on the fun every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-12pm on an as-needed basis. Experienced native instructors provide multiple opportunities for kids to learn Italian through play, while learning important socialization skills. collinaitaliana.com
El Taller Latino Americano
Led by experienced teachers throughout the school year, El Taller, the Latin American Workshop, teaches Spanish of the Americas for children through sound and repetition in a fun and creative way that includes music, theater, art, crafts, and daily life. Each theme is accompanied by a song or art project that leads children to a better understanding of the language. tallerlatino.org
French Institute Alliance Française
Turn your kid’s “hello” to “bonjour!” The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) offers fun year-round French programs for toddlers, kids, and teens from beginner to native French-speakers. Explore classes for all levels, a French immersion preschool, cooking workshops, exciting summer day camps, and FIAF’s popular Family Saturdays with theater, movies, story time, arts & crafts, and more! fiaf.org
German-American School
The German-American-School in New York and on Long Island has a long tradition of teaching German to children: the after-school program began in l892 in Queens and now has four schools in the New York-metropolitan area. The program is for children ages 4 and up; it starts with playgroup and ends with Advanced Placement German and NY-State-accredited exams. The school teaches German as a foreign language and accepts children from all ethnic backgrounds. german-american-school.org
¡HOLA! A Playgroup in Spanish
¡HOLA! A Playgroup in Spanish is a unique language program where children learn to love Spanish because it’s taught in the most original way. HOLA!’s method and philosophy have proven to be most efficient with young age groups because HOLA! follows a natural approach to teaching in order to help develop oral skills. The program focuses on a very wide repertory of concepts to build vocabulary and to acquire the correct use of phonetics from native speakers on topics of interest in the child’s world. The classes are taught through the use of original and traditional music, movement, props, games, visuals and art. Programs run for ages 12 months through 6 years. holaplaygroup.com
I’m Bilingual!
I’m Bilingual! is an early childhood program in NYC that specializes in Spanish instruction for children. Their unique learning approach introduces children, ages 0-5, to the Spanish language through interactive immersion activities that incorporate music, dance, art, and movement. Children are taught by native Spanish-speaking teachers who provide authentic learning experiences for children in NYC to freely explore the Spanish language. imbilingual.com
Instituto Cervantes
For the past two years, enrollment in Instituto Cervantes’ Spanish courses for children and teens has doubled, making it one of their most popular programs. Taught by native Spanish-speaking instructors specialized in child education, groups are customized according to age and level of Spanish. Students learn the language through their unique Spanish immersion program, using multidisciplinary and fun activities. nyork.cervantes.es
Language Workshop for Children
Since 1973, the Language Workshop for Children has been offering its pioneering “Thibaut Technique” language educational classes, camps, and preschools to ages 6 months through 9 years. As Director Francois Thibaut says: “Children remember the words that make them happy,” so the LWFC’s original and language-rich songs, stories, and enriched activities are child-friendly and memorable. Their Professor Toto materials have won six major children’s educational media awards. languageworkshopforchildren.com
La Petite Ecole
La Petite Ecole is a French language and contemporary art preschool on the Upper West Side and in Tribeca. La Petite Ecole immerses children in French language and culture, developing their verbal, motor, social and critical thinking skills through a music and arts-integrated curriculum. French-speaking educators facilitate hands-on projects, incorporating the processes of old and modern masters as well as contemporary visiting artists and performers. lpeny.com
Lycée Français de New York
For over 75 years, the Lycée Français de New York (LFNY) has provided a French-based bilingual education to students from 50-plus nationalities from grades pre-K-12. A private, independent school, LFNY offers a dual-language French-English academic program that draws on the best of the French and American educational traditions. All students start Mandarin in grade 3. A special French immersion program is offered for pre-K students with little to no knowledge of French, and a bilingual summer camp, Camp Quartier d’Eté, is open to students, ages 2.8-11 years, from across the New York area. lfny.org
Planet Han
Planet Han provides a fresh approach to teaching Mandarin. They use the novel “Model.Action.Talk.” method to teach Mandarin to kids, regardless of ethnicity through their group classes, afterschool programs, and private tutoring. They are the only program in New York which offers supplemental classes such as cooking, science, geography, acting, and art in Mandarin, in addition to their core curriculum. planethanchinese.com
Tribeca Language
Tribeca Language is the home of Maurice Hazan’s groundbreaking “QTalk Method,” now being used by hundreds of schools across America. With “QTalk,” students ages 2 and up are able to speak in complete sentences from the first lesson using a unique image library system. A proprietary online game practice allows parents to participate. Ten different languages, group and private classes, in-home tutoring and free trial classes are available. tribecalanguage.com
ZGT New York
No matter your age or level, ZGT Mandarin Tutoring has what you need. They incorporate songs and games to make their toddler program fun and effective. They run four after school programs in Manhattan’s top private schools for grades 1-12 and provide private or small group sessions. Their skilled tutors are both native and non-native speakers, bringing a unique cultural perspective to all of their programs at every level. zgtnewyork.com
