At the French American Academy, we believe in the transformative powers of a bilingual education. Exposing a child to more than one language, a bilingual immersion, at a young age is crucial. This early exposure takes full advantage of a child’s    innate language-learning abilities and natural curiosity about the world. Not only it gives them fantastic language skills, but It also provides them with an understanding of cultural differences and similarities of the two countries.

Raising bilingual child requests a bilingual school, a school in French and in English. Many of our children started in our program without knowing a word of French, Louis, Charlotte, Daniel, Caity, Zoe, and many other…. Through our program, they were exposed, intrigued and eager to communicate. Before the end of the school year, they were able to have a conversation with their teachers and classmates. Those in First Grade were able to  read in French and English.

Your child can also enjoy similar success! Discover how we teach bilingualism in the classrooms and how practice at home can help improve the results

Articles and reviews in the Media

Why multilingual people have healthier, more engaged brains 
Mindshift | August 2016

6 Potential Brain Benefits Of Bilingual Education
NPR | November 2016

Foreign Languages And The Complexities Of Bilingualism
Euronews | October 2016

The superior Social Skills of Bilinguals
The New York Times | March 2016

Research on Bilingualism

Of course, as a school dedicated to bilingual learning and bilingual education programs, we also keep a careful eye on the research in the field.

Some key findings from recent years include the following:

• Bilingualism at an early age enhances general cognitive development.
• The intellectual stimulation produced by the regular use of two languages enhances potential for abstraction, symbolism,conceptualization, and problem solving.
  The benefits of this stimulation are particularly remarkable in mathematics.
• A bilingual child scores higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and achieves a higher grade point average.
• Bilingualism favors the learning process of a 3rd or 4th language.
• Bilingualism does not only provide academic advantages but also encourages an open mind and a tolerance toward differences and other cultures.
• According to research at Dartmouth College, multilingual children score 15 to 20 points better on IQ tests; have larger vocabularies than their peers; speak at an earlier age than most children; have more self-confidence; read sooner; and have fewer reading problems than their peers.
• They also have fewer temper tantrums because they are able to communicate their needs sooner and more effectively and generally perform at an overall higher level.