'First Steps' in two languages

Some bilingual schools don't do very well, here is one that seems to be succeeding. DP

Bilingual education helps integrate fast-growing Hispanic population

By SUMMER HARLOW, The News Journal

delawareonline.com: Nyko Perez was running out of Cheerios.

Sitting at a low, lima-bean-shaped table, the round-faced 3-year-old was gluing the cereal bits to a big "C" made of orange construction paper.

"Quieres más? Do you need more?" instructor Camen Bisso asked him in both Spanish and English. "OK, what do you say? Como se dice 'por favor?' "

"Please!" Nyko responded, the English word easily rolling off his tongue. Nyko speaks mostly Spanish at home. But in the past two weeks, his English, and his confidence in speaking it, have grown exponentially.

At the new First Steps Primeros Pasos early learning center in Georgetown, lessons are repeated in English and Spanish. Signs and posters around the classroom are bilingual, and two of the three instructors are native Spanish speakers.

"We deal with integration here," said Executive Director Lynne Maloy. "We're teaching our Spanish speakers English and our English speakers get to learn Spanish. We want everyone to have an equal chance to succeed, because education is the name of the game."
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