For tots, Spanish as a second language – In ‘a smaller world,’ parents want their children to be bilingual – Massachusetts

On the second Saturday of each month, the town’s library offers youngsters a chance to escape the familiar geography of their suburban neighborhoods and discover the lively harbors and old markets of cities half a world away. The landscape changes each month, but the journey is always narrated in Spanish.

It might seem an odd choice for Arlington – where only 1.6 percent of the town’s 40,000-plus population speak Spanish at home and only 4 percent of schoolchildren are Hispanic – but at a time when municipal budget cuts have decimated similar programs in more diverse cities such as Lowell and Lawrence, the Spanish story hour at the Robbins Library is enjoying great success.

“Given that the world has become smaller, knowing a second or even third language is important,” said Adam Harder, whose 4-year-old daughter, Keira, each month excitedly counts down the days to Spanish story time.”*

*From: www.boston.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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