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Students at NJ School Learn 3 Languages

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Fox 5 News (NYC) comes to Union City to learn how Union City kids learn and they interview Supt. Mrs. S. Abatto

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toddlers speaking Spanish in Mandarin others learning Science and Technology it's all happening at one local preschool that is breaking barriers and creating successful students and Educators from around the world coming through its doors to learn how Linda Schmidt shows us  what do you think Kimberly what do you think these nice we're looking for the Early Child Center Public School in Union City New Jersey they don't speak just English they speak Spanish and Mandarin as well these are three four and five-year-olds from immigrant families who are becoming literate in their native languages and English at the same time Indiana to Casa condo flower seeds cool haha baby early childhood which started 10 years ago has become a model for schools in the US and abroad the New York City Department of Education has toward the school along with educators Chicago Florida Minnesota Canada and Norway the reason while the children who were educated in this program have gone on to become successful in the Union City School District last year the district's graduation rate was 87% now that's in a low-income Community where most of the students live in Spanish-speaking homes and when they entered the preschool program most could not speak English we also have in a strong initiative with science math and Technology that we provide activities for the children so that they learn what science all the concepts of Science and Math and Technology absolutely by the time I leave here if they're already reading and writing pool King on science projects at three and four years old and they're learning how to to communicate with their with their peers in front of your class and of course a big impact on an increasing their vocabulary do you know any Spanish what can you tell me in Spanish dos tres cuatro for me right and that means what what did you just count for me that's right one two three four yes yes you're adorable do you know that  and 4 year old Brandon Mejia is smart to and Union can you Jersey Linda Schmidt Fox 5 news that's incredible can you've done incredible things yourself your fighter you're the first woman and also first Latina to be superintendent if Union City which is a huge honor you've done tremendous things for the students in y 87% graduation rate that's tremendous what are some of the biggest obstacles that you faced we have a large bilingual population 97 one of our students are from Latino families I would say 20% or approximately 20% or undocumented students so those are the challenges that we place as a district but as you can see in our program and the video that you'll be showing shortly we're making tremendous gains special in the Early Childhood Program it's recognized as a national motto an early childhood is the foundation of the homes if you have a solid foundation you can accomplish everything and these kids really go on to be successful students that graduate rate really shows that as well tell me how important language is I mean my parents were immigrants they didn't speak any English I know you came here from Cuba when you were nine which you speak three languages now but if you don't learn the language or have a stable resource in the foundation you really can't connect to the American culture and to your Nation absolutely end of the earlier than you learned languages the easier of what happens in our own China program we have a pilot program Pre K to 12 children are learning Mandarin so we have preschoolers that technically could be trilingual but they look by the time they leave her High School really pick it up early where is that what you're saying absolutely help each other they learn from one another and it's a plus it's definitely a plus I know you're married to an ESL instructor so you speak 3 languages language flows fluently in your household you know what are the kids really need in these early years what are the critical skills because so many people are pushing science language there's there's a lot to learn we do all of the above we do the stem which is a science technology engineering and math are we purchase I ads for the Elementary grades we have laptops cuz Technologies also very important especially an immigrant homes you want children to be exposed to technology it's a community effort it starts with for example on mayor and state Senator Brian stack are Board of Education members or parents working together as a Community impact and we all have the same goal which is for our students to succeed we really need a lot of Educators to have other talents in other languages is that not correct is that what you're next to me absolutely and a lot of our administrators and teachers are stakeholders from the Union City School District which I think is kale so fantastic alright Sylvia thank you so much for being here it's a relaunch doing great work with the kids

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