This week we were fortunate enough to sit down with Cheryl Haga, the Bay Area Director, from Lango.   Lango is an immersion language program developed right here in the Bay Area.  We got to learn about the offerings at Lango and the benefits to children.   Here are some excerpts from our talk with Cheryl.

What is your background?
After about a decade in project management, I changed careers and entered the world of education…and I’ve been in the education sector since 2001. I started my education career as a High School Special Education teacher in Oakland, then moved to work with a national non-profit running their intense new teacher summer training programs. Prior to joining LANGO I worked with a post secondary school out in Concord.

How did you get involved w/ Lango?
I was looking for foreign language classes for my (at the time) 3 year old. I spent a number of years in Italy on a variety of cultural, academic, and work related exchanges and wanted to provide my son with an opportunity to learn a foreign language (specifically Spanish or Mandarin) before he reached middle school. Naturally, I went online to find local programs.

As I was browsing, I came across LANGO. I read through the pages and thought it would be a great program for my son – I poked around a bit more and found that they were looking to merge both sides of the bay. With my educational and project management background, plus passion for languages, it was a perfect fit. I joined the team in December of 2009 and have loved every day since.

What are your goals with Lango?
LANGO’s primary goal is to provide outstanding foreign languages to kids ages 1-11. We do this with high energy and positive teachers who are either native or bilingual speakers, offering a challenging and fun set of adventures for the kids to accomplish, and working with parents to ensure that the language goes beyond the class and into daily life. The more we open the doors of communication to our kids, the better off they will be in all aspects of their futures.

What benefit(s) does Lango provide to the community?
If we want our kids to be a part of the global community, we have to provide them the opportunities to speak with others. Language is also a lot more than a bunch of words stung together – there are rich cultural and historical meanings behind many of the words we chose. Providing our kids with the chance to learn a foreign language offers them insight into other cultures.

What can parents expect from Lango?
Parents can expect outstanding classes every time they attend. For those parents who are staying with their kids during the class, they can expect to participate as well (and be sure to bring comfy clothes and shoes because we do a LOT of movement…we joke that it’s a mini-workout for adults!). Parents can expect their kids to request they play the LANGO CD in the car…and that the kids will sing along. We also send out monthly communication to each parent regarding the progress their child is making in the target language, ideas for how to reinforce the vocabulary at home, and fun activities we’ve done in the classes. Finally, parents can expect their child to fall in love with another language – both the beauty of the sounds as well as the culture.

What will a child gain from attending one of your classes?
Children gain a sense of confidence by attending LANGO classes regularly. After just a few classes they are able to pronounce words with a much less noticeable accent, and they will begin speaking (first in simple words, then simple sentences, finally complex thoughts and feelings).

What are some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had since you started Lango?
It seems that every season something amazing happens. Coming out of our summer season, I had a parent email me the following:

“I was impressed with the teaching style all summer. My son’s Spanish vocabulary increased and now he’s teaching ME how to pronounce words correctly. I used to have the hardest time pronouncing ‘yellow’ in Spanish…but [my son] said the word slowly and clearly so I could hear how he pronounced it…a-ma-ree-yoo (Amarillo). Also, we’ve been singing the songs on BART – people think I’m nuts because I can’t stop humming Baila con tu cuerpo. The experience this summer has really encouraged us both. THANK YOU!”

Those are the types of experiences that make me want to work harder and reach more kids.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
I’d love to have programs in every school in The Bay within the next 5 years. Ideally, we can bring languages to the school day as well as after-school.

What have been some of the challenges you’ve faced?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced has been in getting as much time with the families as I’d like. Ideally, I’d be able to attend every class at least once a month – but with so many classes that’s just not possible. I want to be able to meet every single family we work with!

How can a parent with a young child (under 3) get involved?
PLEASE start early! We have classes for kids as young as 1…the earlier the better. Even if they aren’t verbal yet, simply hearing another language provides them with the foundation to start speaking and understanding early.

How does a parent who only speaks English help to teach their children another language?
We offer a ton of at-home reinforcement activities through our workbooks and music CD. We also provide parents with audio versions of our workbooks, readings of the story, and other assistance through our website.