At the Haitian American Public Charter School in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, a groundbreaking new model for early education is achieving remarkable results. By embracing the home language and culture of its largely Haitian student body, the school is helping preschoolers thrive academically and socially through a dual-language immersion program taught in both English and Haitian Creole.
Three years ago, school leaders made the visionary decision to transition the preschool to a 50-50 English-Creole curriculum. “We wanted our students to feel proud of their cultural identities while gaining full proficiency in English,” said Principal Marie Claude. “Research shows bilingual education provides immense cognitive advantages if implemented well.”
Teachers like Jeanette Pierre were trained to become fluent in Creole and teach across subject areas in both languages. “Transitioning was a big change but very rewarding,” said Pierre. A typical day now sees morning circle time and math in English, while afternoons focus on storytime, science, and creative activities in Creole. Teachers skillfully facilitate code-switching to help children bridge the two languages.
The impact of becoming a true dual-language immersion program has exceeded all expectations. According to literacy assessments, the 4-year-olds are testing at the level of monolingual 5-year-olds in both English and Creole. Teachers also report high student engagement plus pride in their dual cultural identities. “They see their languages as an asset, not a deficit, and that empowerment serves them well,” said Principal Claude.
Parents have overwhelmingly welcomed the innovative approach. “My daughter is thriving academically and can’t wait to attend class,” said Marie Joseph, whose family immigrated from Haiti five years ago. “Knowing Creole helps her connect to our culture and heritage. Learning English gives her more opportunities for the future.”
Based on these early successes, the school plans to thoughtfully expand the model to older grades in coming years. “We want our students to achieve biliteracy and bicultural competence by graduation,” said Principal Claude. If results continue, it may inspire widespread adoption of new dual-language models across the US.
As the first preschool of its kind in Boston, the Haitian American Charter School is achieving remarkable success by embracing the linguistic diversity of its community. Through a pioneering commitment to bilingual education, this preschool is revolutionizing early learning and serving as a national model for academic and social-emotional excellence.
