Children's Museum of Manhattan - various times Pick
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The Shops at Atlas Park - 11:00 AM
Children's Museum of Manhattan - various times Pick
New York Hall of Science - 10:00 AM
Staten Island Mall - 11:00 AM
Camp - 11:00 AM
Brooklyn Children's Museum - 3:00 PM Pick
Children's Museum of Manhattan - various times Pick
Christ Church NYC - 9:30 AM
New York Hall of Science - 10:00 AM
The Paley Center for Media - various times
Children's Museum of Manhattan - various times Pick
New York Hall of Science - 10:00 AM
Staten Island Mall - 11:00 AM
Camp - 11:00 AM
The Paley Center for Media - various times
Staten Island Mall - 11:00 AM
East Midtown Partnership - 11:00 AM
Camp - 11:00 AM
The Shops at Atlas Park - 11:00 AM
The Paley Center for Media
Theatre Row
The Jewish Museum
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La Escuelita: A Dual-Language Preschool in NYC
This post is sponsored by La Escuelita.
Thanks to shows like Dora the Explorer and Ni Hao Kai -lan, kids are being exposed to foreign languages at a younger age today. The preschool years are prime time for language building. In fact, the traditional model in the US of waiting to acquire a second language until the adolescent years is flawed—research has shown that children's ability to distinguish between new sounds and accurately replicate them diminishes dramatically after age 12. The key is immersing a child in the second language as early as possible. Whether Mom and Dad speak another language or not, a language immersion preschool can help a child to become fluent in another language, while also readying him or her for elementary school.
La Escuelita was founded in 2003 by two mothers, both educators, who wanted a quality bilingual English/Spanish education for their children. The school is one of the first dual-language preschools in NYC, providing support for early bilingualism via playgroups for little ones aged 12 months to 6 years, as well as a preschool for children ages 2 to 5, an immersion afterschool program for children in grades K-3 and an immersion summer program.
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La Escuelita, located on the Upper West Side, follows a 90:10 model in which children who start preschool during their 2s or 2/3s are immersed entirely in Spanish, while the 3s, 3/4s and 4s classes spend 90 percent of class time in Spanish and 10 percent in English. This dual immersion model draws on the strengths of children from both English and Spanish dominant homes. The school's goal is that students new to Spanish achieve fluency by the time they are ready to start kindergarten.
La Escuelita also focuses on play-based learning, and the school year is organized around themes (dinosaurs, space, China, etc.)—four to six week units that incorporate subjects such as literacy, math, art, dramatic play and music. For example, students studying buses can do anything from read books about buses and measure the length of an actual bus to plan bus routes using a map, take a ride on a bus and interview the driver.
Parent involvement is a major component at La Escuelita, so moms and dads receive a letter at the beginning of each theme detailing the goals of the unit, with songs and specific vocabulary that will be integrated. And each theme ends with a party at which parents can listen to their children sing songs, tell group stories and show off projects.
Need more info? Parents are encouraged to attend one of La Escuelita's open houses on October 21 at 9:15 am, November 3 at 7pm and December 16 at 9:15 am. In addition, the school is also offering a series of talks on Language and Learning in Early Childhood at the JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Avenue). Check out La Escuelita’s website for additional info.
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