TODAYonline reports that a nation-wide research study is being conducted to boost understanding of how children develop bilingual competence in early childhood. Research has shown that picking up two languages in a child’s formative years affects his or her cognitive and social development [positively]. It has been shown living environments influence language proficiency, and that a child’s first four years of life are a “golden” but “most neglected” window for honing bilingual competency. Singapore’s strong emphasis on bilingualism has seen a number of preschools offer programmes that immerse children in a Mandarin-rich environment, with designated full-time Chinese language teacher in every class who remains with the students throughout the day.
They include … Joy Little Schoolhouse at Thomson [Sin Ming] which prides itself on a predominantly Mandarin curriculum.