Census figures show that the percentage of Americans living in
homes where languages other than English are spoken is on the
rise. The country is becoming increasingly diverse, and it
stands to reason that future generations will be exposed to more
languages than those who came before us. (And research has shown
that being bilingual is good for the brain.) At the same time,
the percentage of elementary and middle schools that offer
foreign language courses has fallen significantly since 1997,
according to a Missourian article from last year. In a country
that is gaining diversity, some parents are responding by taking
their own steps to expose children to foreign languages. For
some people, that might mean checking out books in Spanish from
the library. For others, it could mean enrolling their students
in Columbia's schools that specialize in French and Chinese
teaching. We would like to hear from you about your experiences
with and feelings about early childhood foreign language
learning. This project is pa