Students in the Anaheim Elementary School District as young as transitional kindergarteners will soon be learning and speaking Mandarin.
With the Board of Education’s stamp of approval and support from district families, the school district is expanding its dual language immersion program with the addition of the Mandarin Chinese language in the 2023-24 school year. Students in the district are already learning Spanish and Korean, depending on which campus they attend.
“Studies have shown that a new language creates a strong foundation for academic success and career opportunities later in life,” said Superintendent Dr. Christopher Downing. “We cannot wait to have Mandarin spoken in our classrooms.”
Mandarin ranks second in the top 10 most spoken languages in the world. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
The district designated Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School as the inaugural campus to bring the program to students.
“TK is a great year for children to learn a new language,” said Principal Dr. Anna Bae Kim. “Studies show that children are like sponges and can learn new languages at a faster rate the earlier they start. I feel honored to be able lead this program at Roosevelt Elementary next school year.”
Students attending this district can continue learning an additional language when they move on to schools in the Anaheim Union High School District, which offers the following dual language immersion programs and eight world language courses: American Sign Language, Arabic, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese.
To learn more about the Mandarin program in the Anaheim Elementary School District and to enroll your child, visit www.anaheimelementary.org or call 714-517-7500.