Mandarin Instruction Program with Global Scope Started in S.O.

Only five years have passed since its birth, but Sharon Huang's baby has moved out. Bilingual Buds, a school that teaches Mandarin Chinese and, as of this year, Spanish, began in the basement of Huang's Wyoming Avenue home in February of 2005. Huang, then a new mother holding an MBA from Wharton, read about the cognitive benefits of studying a second language from birth. Since her family background is Taiwanese, Huang was drawn to the idea of teaching Mandarin to her children. From that idea, a school was born. 

The mission of Bilingual Buds is to prepare children to "be global citizens who are intellectually curious, culturally aware, and linguistically capable." It bills itself as the first immersion program for children ages 1 through 10 in New Jersey.

It's not a moment too soon. A Jan. 21, 2010 article in The New York Times reports that, while thousands of public schools reduced or eliminated second language instruction in the past decade, the study of Chinese is growing dramatically. Several factors explain the trend, including the realization of parents, students and educators that China is "an important country... [They] believe that fluency in its language can open opportunities."

Such opportunities were the subject of another recent article. Metro New York noted a shift in attitude of financial sector job seekers. Not only are jobs available in Asia -- Columbia Business School has seen an increase in Chinese companies seeking to hire graduates, according to the article -- but the perks of travel and ample housing allowances are attractive. 

Speaking the language is an obvious asset for such jobs, but that wouldn't be motivation enough for Bilingual Buds students and their families. Learning also has to be fun. Bilingual Buds began with five students and one teacher as a part-time preschool. It grew rapidly, thanks to local word of mouth, moving to rented space in a Livingston church after a year. When demand for the programs continued to rise, Bilingual Buds found its current home in Summit. Manhattan classes began just months ago. The school now offers full-day kindergarten and first grade, after-school classes and summer camp locally and in Beijing, as well as popular Mommy & Me classes. 

Huang has found that about a third of her students are of Asian heritage, while another third are children who were adopted from China. A final third are students of mixed background. Huang explains that, "Since most of our students come from families who do not speak Mandarin at home, we need to maximize effectiveness of exposure to Mandarin at school." This means that, in addition to direct language instruction, "high interest" subjects such as science, physical education and art are incorporated in lessons. Teachers are native speakers, and homework is assigned and expected. "This has helped parents become more involved and improved teaching effectiveness in the classroom," according to Huang. 

The New York Times reports that much of the nation's growth in Chinese instruction and study comes not from "heritage communities," but from parts of the country that don't have large Chinese populations. A significant measurement is the number of students who take the Advanced Placement test in Chinese; since the test is national, it's remarkable that Chinese is expected to be the third most-tested language—after Spanish and French—this year. 

Curriculum choices at Bilingual Buds seem also to reflect the broader culture. Parents can watch Mandarin videos of popular characters such as Teletubbies and Clifford the Big Red Dog with younger children, while older students study animal fables. Families are committed to the program and turn out in force for events such as the Chinese New Year celebration on Feb. 6. Huang's own family is an example of family commitment: her twin sons continue to study at the school, and her husband, Bill Hicks, is the administrative officer. 

From the beginning, South Orange and Maplewood families took an interest in the school and enrolled first one child then another. With such a loyal following, it's no wonder that last year saw the expansion of Bilingual Buds into a Spanish program. As Huang and her students celebrate the Year of the Tiger, she can look forward to the school's future as a powerful force in local language instruction.