foreign language immersion programs

[soexcited317]

Does anyone have kiddos in Spanish or another language immersion program?  DS1 has three weeks left in K and just got a spot in our districts Spanish Immersion Program.  The program only accepts new students through the first semester of 1st grade, and DS has been on the waitlist for over a year.

I am very excited, and think it is a really cool opportunity.  But curious if others have advice on how to help him catch up with his classmates?  Neither DH or I speak Spanish. I'm wondering if their are apps or websites that others would recommend? Would it be worthwhile to hire a tutor (like high school student who could read with him in Spanish this summer)?

He starts on Monday and I will definitely email his teacher to get her advice on how to ease his transition.  

[nicolewi]

We don't, but our friends do. I love the idea but we don't have them in our district. I think asking the teacher is definitely the way to go. I kind of bet there's not much you can really effectively do over the summer, but maybe she has some cool online resources or something like that to get him started.

[gastro]

We do have language immersion programs here (mostly Spanish and Chinese).
Many of our friends who have children in these programs have nannies or babysitters that are native speakers and only speak in that language to the kids.
I would try and only allow screen time in Spanish going forward.
You can do things like Rossetta stone together as a family at home or to play in the car.
Get in touch with the teacher and maybe see if they can offer your contact info to families who would be interested in meeting yours and get acclimated to the school.

[dizzycooks]

I'd do it if it were a realistic option, but it's not.
Allowing screen time in the target language is a great idea. Learners need to hear the language used frequently to benefit. You could start that this summer with simple shows/games.

[soexcited317]

Thanks for the tips. I am anxious to hear how his day went today. The principle said the school has a subscription to an app that we can use over the summer. I know its not much (at all), but he had Spanish for a special the entire year- so I'm hoping that helps a little.