These Queens Schools Now Offer Bilingual Pre-K

QUEENS, NY – Queens will have 16 new dual-language Pre-K programs for the 2019-2020 school year. Three Corona schools and two Long Island City schools will have new bilingual programs in Spanish, and two schools in Flushing and Flushing Heights will offer Chinese.

That makes for a total of 26 such Pre-K programs in Queens that will instruct students in two languages. While the initiative is citywide, it's particularly significant for Queens, considered the most linguistically diverse place in the world.

An estimated 600 to 800 languages are spoken in New York, according to the nonprofit Endangered Language Alliance, which says most of those languages have at least one speaker in Queens. More than half of Queens residents speak a language other than English at home, according to U.S. census data — about 1.2 million people.

"In a world that's more connected than ever, having that second language is an amazing advantage." Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Feb. 4, announcing the expansion. "It's going to allow our young people to be able to have all sorts of amazing jobs in the future."

In spite of Queens's diversity, the borough historically hasn't been receptive to bilingual education, according to Queens College linguistics professor Kate Menken — political sentiments, not education policy, tend to determine people's stances, she explained. The de Blasio administration's push for bilingual programs is a long-awaited change, she said.

The city's dual-language Pre-K program began in 2015 with 30 options, according to the mayor's office. The upcoming expansion adds four new languages: French, Haitian-Creole, Hebrew and Japanese. Once the new programs launch in September, about 2,000 kids citywide will be in a dual-language Pre-K program, according to the mayor's office. There are 545 bilingual programs available to students in grades K-12.

For children who speak languages other than English at home, bilingual programs are linked to better academic performance, according to Menken. "If you educate children in their home language, they will learn English better," she said. "Especially if kids are struggling in school, they're the ones who need the most access to these programs."

Menken said families need to keep asking their local schools for bilingual programs, because not every program opens immediately — and, when they open, space is limited. "The demand far exceeds the availability," she said. "There are long waitlists to get into many of these programs."

Applications for free, full-day 3-K for All and Pre-K for All seats opened on Monday, Feb. 4. Families can apply online at MySchools.nyc, over the phone at 718-935-2009 or in person at a Family Welcome Center. All New York City families with children born in 2015 can apply for Pre-K in the 2019-20 school year.

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