How to Find a Bilingual School for Your Child

Have you always emphasized learning English as well as your native tongue (mother tongue) for your child? And do you want your child’s school to follow this principle too? If yes, then a bilingual school is the right option for your child. Here is how to find a bilingual school for your child.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Go online and look for bilingual schools in your neighborhood. Use keywords such as "bilingual school + name of your state/city/town" in the search box of search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
2. Check all the options that appear on the results page. Get more information about the schools mentioned online.
3. Make a list of schools that suit your requirements concerning teaching philosophy and techniques, residential versus non-residential, extracurricular activities and fee structure.
4. Talk with teachers at any local school as well as with friends and relatives and ask them if they know of a bilingual school. Ask their opinions on the schools that you have short-listed.
5. Visit these schools personally to check the infrastructure and environment. Talk to teachers and other staff at the school. Learn how the school updates the parents about their child’s development and how the school expects the parents to play an active part in their education.
6. Get information on how the school balances instruction in the 2 languages. A good way to do this would be to check the curriculum and talk to students at the school.
7. Get references for current parents at the school and talk to them. Ask about their satisfaction level and in what way they feel that this particular school has benefited their child.
8. Choose a school that meets your expectations.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider taking your child along when you visit a school. This will help you to know if your child feels comfortable in that school’s environment.
• Never settle for a school without investigating it personally.