Local News
Preschool overcomes language differences
By DAN SCHNEIDER, DMG Writer
POSTED: June 12, 2008
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“There may be two or three in any given class because we serve a lot of the Daniell Heights families,” MTU Preschool, Inc. Teacher/Director Janeen Stephenson said.
There are several international residents in Daniell Heights, Michigan Technological University’s graduate student housing. With a large number of international students and faculty at Tech — the preschool typically draws about half of its enrollment from among university students and employees — it is not uncommon for a language other than English to be the primary language in a preschooler’s home.
The preschool’s Web site, www.mtupreschool.org, emphasizes “non-English speaking children are welcome” at the preschool.
Stephenson said language does not cause much of a barrier among three- and four-year-olds.
“It’s very easy for children to play even without speaking,” Stephenson said. “It’s just very natural for them to play with each other and some of the children are extra sensitive and really go out of the way to include these children.”
She said the preschoolers are typically more comfortable in this regard than adults are.
“We might feel awkward but for kids, they just see each other and find a way to play together,” Stephenson said.
She said the multilingual environment adds to the preschool experience.
“It really is a great aspect to our program to have the variety of families that we have,” Stephenson said.
Dan Schneider can be reached at dschneider@mininggazette.com
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