Moving to USA with family

[expatToCome]

Hi all,

My company recently offered me to move to the US (probably Chicago, but it is not definitive). My concern is that I have a 5-year old kid that speaks Spanish-only, and I am not going to be able to pay for an expensive bilingual school.

I was wondering if you knew alternatives for Spanish-speaking kids or where I can get more information regarding this topic, since I had very little luck with Google.

Best Regards
AB

[emohit]

I would really not give that too much of a thought as a problem. Kids pick up english really well. My kid was 4 when we moved and he picked up english in about 4-5 months. The first couple of months were difficult, but then he managed.

All the best.

[Iron Horse]

Chicago has a huge Mexican population, in the city of Elgin. It's so large that the Chicago Fire went after ex-America player Cuauhtemoc Blanco. I wouldn't fear the language at all. Once you put your child in a school with English only your child will be fine. Sure a little bit of a struggle, but people do it all the time. If it's a public school they will most likely have classes in English and Spanish. My younger brother teaches in the Public Schools and he's had a few classes when he was starting out that were only in Spanish. On a side note, as we are fans of Pumas UNAM, the kids called him Mr. Puma because he would wear his jersey.

Your best option would be to start with the public school system of the town you will be living in, if you know that. If you aren't sure where you'll be living, then your search will be tougher. But you can at least start here. A phone call can always save you a lot of time if you need an answer to a question not found through their webpage. Ask you company too be too, should be some people there with kids in the schools. Best wishes.

Chicago Public Schools

[karrots]

If you're pretty sure you'll be coming to the U.S., it might be a good idea to teach (or hire a tutor to teach) your child some basic english now before you move. If you do it together it will probably get him or her more excited about learning a new language when you make the move (and they'll probably be totally fluent in no time once your child is here and playing with other kids). Like the previous posters said, there are a lot of public resources for children in all the major cities, but I'm sure you'd like to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Best of luck!

[synthia]

My guess is that most children who are brought to the US don't speak English. As long as you don't move into an entirely Spanish-speaking section of the city and put your kid into a school where most of the children speak Spanish, he or she should be fine.

I know that sounds backwards, but there are some areas of the country where children's exposure to English is so minimal that they don't learn quickly. Put him in kindergarten with other English-speaking kids. He'll soak English up like a sponge.

[Bevdeforges]

You know, one other way to prepare your 5-year-old for learning English is to get a couple of DVDs with English soundtracks (you may already have some on hand). Cartoons or favorite Disney stories (at 5, your child may be a little old for Teletubbies, but that's a "universal" show that works well) - and just start playing the English soundtrack.

Children pick up languages faster than you realize. If there are songs on the films, so much the better. I know a Spaniard who learned English by listening to American rock 'n' roll songs when he was a kid.
Cheers,
Bev

[synthia]

I know a Thai who replies to compliments on his English with three little letters: HBO

If you live in an area with satellite service, check for children's TV in English. Even if they would be too simple for your child now, they may be interesting because the language is different. I agree that all that repetition and illustration on Teletubbies should work well.

[Glee]

Don't worry about it!
There are plenty of Spanish speaking people throughout Chicago.
Buy your son some DVD in English and start packing.

[Greenwings]

Hi,
I bought my 4 kids to the Canary Islands 2 years ago from the UK, the other posters are right you must not worry, Children are more adaptable than you give them credit for, the Irony is that the Younger they are, as yours is, the faster they learn, all my kids aged 4,6,10 and 15 now all speak fluent Spanish.

Put your Kid into school he will love it and make Friends instantly. the younger they are the less hang ups they have. Young Kids don't think in terms of Language they just "communicate"!

Regards
Adam

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Hi there.

My wife and I only talk to our kids in Spanish (she is from Barcelona and I have roots in Mexico, though I was born and raised in the US), so their first words were in Spanish as babies. Once they started daycare, they picked up the English language like a sponge as a previous poster mentioned. They also watch Playhouse Disney, Sprout, Disney Channel, etc., and don't even speak Spanish anymore unless we force them (pretend we don't understand English so they ask in Spanish). So, don't worry about it. Most schools have ESL, or English as a Second Language classes.

Regards