MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It looks like daycare and sounds like daycare, but toddlers at Su Casa`s Esperanza Early Childhood Center are not just being baby sat.
“We are not just providing a safe place where parents can drop off their children. We are also providing intentional learning interaction,” said Esperanza Director Helene Harris. “The children were playing with bubbles earlier. That was to focus on the shape of the month, which is circles. So we try to point out circles in everyday environments. The teachers are on the ground with the kids. They are at their level. They are working with them, not teaching down to them.”
Esperanza opened this year and is one of Memphis` first bilingual pre-schools. It is housed inside Su Casa Family Ministries in the heavily Hispanic Berclair neighborhood.
“What color is this pumpkin? Que colores? It’s orange. Can you say orange?” asked teacher McKenna Duncan.
“There were several kids who were starting kindergarten without any exposure to the English language and that was setting them five years behind their peers and to catch up that gap within the school system is very, very hard,” said Harris.
“We want to teach them how to learn English and Spanish at the same time. This is a good opportunity for the ones who speak Spanish at home so they can start practicing the English. Speaking two languages it helps them with the brain,” said teacher Ceci Fortier.
Parents told WREG they are seeing a difference.
“This program it helps my daughter,” said Jamilla Bautista, whose 2-year-old now speaks English at home.
“Because in my house the first language is Spanish and this is very important, not only for my daughter, but for me and my family,” said Bautista.
Heather Scholes isn`t Hispanic, but wanted to expose her son to the culture.
“Just having him be immersed around Spanish is wonderful. He already is picking up on several words in Spanish and understands it,” she said.
Exposing these kids early puts them ahead of the game.
“As they get older they will have that strong educational base they can live on the rest of their lives,” said Harris.
Esperanza is funded through churches, grants and donations.
Parents pay based on their income.
The school is now up for a contest grant where the public votes on who wins.
You can vote for Esperanza by clicking here.
