Bringing-up Bilingual Baby by Dorothy P. Dougherty - "Research has shown that bilingual students have stronger problem solving and analytical skills and may even have higher grade point averages …when a person is bilingual they may also be more creative as they have more and different ways to express themselves. Socially, if your child is bilingual, he will be able to communicate with people from different cultures, which may lead to more extensive job and personal opportunities in the future."

Breaking the language barrier BY SAMANTHA CRITCHELL - She points to research that shows children who learn two or more languages at a young age have higher levels of cognitive flexibility and a better awareness of the use of symbols to communicate, and many even have better early reading skills. These children also tend to have a better ability to focus their attention because they have to decide when to speak what language and to whom, Espinosa says. The important thing for children learning languages, even if it's just English, is that they have rich language opportunities, including conversations with adults and reading.

Preschools becoming multilingual learning hub by Peggy Spear - Certainly the value of learning a second - or third - language has not been lost on most parents and educators. Studies show that people who are bilingual have stronger brain development, and the earlier children learn a second language, the better.
"Studies show that there is a 'window of opportunity' for optimal brain enhancement," says Amy Casey, who runs Walnut Creek's Spanish for Kids program. "And that is usually in the preschool ages." She adds that auditory development in people usually peaks by age 12, right about the time many American kids are just beginning to study a foreign language. Research from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Applied Linguistics suggests that children who learn a second language are more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who do not. Other studies show that a 2-year-old brain has twice as many synapses as the adult brain, and the young brain must use these connections or lose them.

English Ebbs As World Language By Randolph E. Schmid - The share of the world's population that speaks English as a native language is falling, David Graddol reports. Instead, English will play a growing role as a second language, he says in the journal Science. The idea of English becoming the world language to the exclusion of others "is past its sell-by date," Graddol says. Instead, its major contribution will be in creating new generations of bilingual and multilingual speakers, he reports. English-only speakers may find it difficult to fully participate in a multilingual society, he said.

Bilingual, baby! Many parents want nannies fluent in another language to help tutor their tots by Vanessa Hua, Chronicle Staff Writer - Children need to be exposed to a different language for at least 30 percent of their waking hours to become bilingual, said Fred Genesee, a professor of psycholinguistics at McGill University in Montreal. Less exposure may allow the child to comprehend but not speak a second language.

The Bilingual Baby by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. When babies grow up hearing two different languages in about equal amounts, most become fluent in both languages simultaneously. There is no cost in terms of emotional or intellectual (cognitive) delays. In some ways, bilingual children may have an advantage. For example, they may find it easier to learn certain grammar rules or rules relating to reading and writing. And, of course, they can speak with a wider range of people than can children who speak a single language.

Foreign Language Power By Kendeyl Johansen - "It’s best to start language training early. Kids possess their greatest ability to absorb and retain languages until the ages of 12 to 13 when their brain begins losing plasticity. Also, kids are less self-conscious than adults and not as afraid of getting things wrong or not saying them right. This results in greater verbalization and helps kids become fluent in a language sooner than adults.