Preschool students
at nine Orange County elementary schools are receiving instruction this year in English and Spanish, thanks to a $1.6 million grant given to the school district and the Orlando Repertory Theatre.
Hill and Chickasaw.
The district chose schools likely to attract a mix of students from English- and Spanishspeaking families, said Meg Bowen, director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Orange schools. It’s the first time the district has offered this type of instruction to VPK students, who are as young as 4 years old.
Proponents say learning a second language at an early age provides students with a better understanding of their first language and allowing Spanishspeaking students to help others learn their native tongue can help their self esteem.
“Helios believes that by strengthening early childhood systems to promote language acquisition and emerging literacy for children birth through age 8, that more children will enter kindergarten ready to learn and more children will be reading at grade level by third grade,” Thompson said.
Orange also offers dual language programs at three elementary schools and three middle schools.
Preschool students at nine Orange County elementary schools are receiving instruction this year in English and Spanish, thanks to a $1.6 million grant given to the school district and the Orlando Repertory Theatre.
This year, 213 Voluntary PreKindergarten students are in dual language classrooms through a four-year grant from the Helios Education Foundation that pays for salaries and training.
The Orlando Repertory Theatre will help teachers learn dramatic techniques that they can use to teach their students a second language, said Linda Thompson, senior vice president for Helios.
About half of the students are native English speakers and about half are native Spanish speakers. A few speak another language at home.
The program is offered in 11 classrooms at nine elementary schools: Wetherbee, Ventura, Zellwood, Apopka, John Young, Little River, Lake Weston, Oak