GARDENA, Calif. – More than 185 languages are spoken in the L.A. Metro area, according to the Census Bureau, and more parents want their kids to be bilingual.
Dual immersion language programs are increasingly popular at districts across Southern California.
Six-year-old Amy Sanchez is learning Mandarin in an immersion program at Chapman Elementary in Gardena. She can speak English, Spanish, and Mandarin—for now.
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“I want to learn Korean. I want to learn all of the languages,” Sanchez said.
She is enrolled in one of the 182 language immersion programs at Los Angeles Unified School District campuses alone. She loves her class, but having words from three languages swirling around in her head can sometimes be tricky.
“There are a lot of words that I don’t remember, and they are kind of hard to say,” Sanchez said.
She shares what she learns with her family. Her mom, Veronica Garcia, speaks to her in Spanish and only knows a little English. She is proud to hear her daughter speaking multiple languages.
“I like it because she can have more opportunities so she can open doors for her in her life and maybe when she studies her career or everywhere,” Garcia said.
Learning Mandarin along with Spanish and English has already encouraged Sanchez to think globally.
“If I know different languages than I can go to different countries and then I can talk to other people if they don’t know English or Spanish,” Sanchez said.
She can go to different countries, or even different communities across the Southland.