FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 14, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Teaching children a foreign language is as easy as ABC with ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers by Child Talk, Inc. Child Talk, a newly launched educational video production company based in Fort Lauderdale, is releasing its first Spanish early-education video, ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers, in conjunction with National Foreign Language Week, from March 5 - 9.
"National Foreign Language Week is a great time for parents and early childhood educators to celebrate the diversity in American culture by exposing children to a new language, beginning with the ABCs," said Mary Piedra, founder and president of Child Talk.
At first, Piedra produced ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers as a fun way of introducing her own toddler son to the Spanish language. "My husband is from Ecuador and my parents are from Italy, so we were both raised speaking a second language. I wanted my son to be exposed to the same cultural advantages that we enjoyed growing up."
When friends and relatives would visit Piedra with their young children, Piedra would play the video to entertain her son, his little cousins and friends. "When parents saw how well their children responded to the video, they would ask me to make them copies, so I started giving out the videos as gifts to family and friends," Piedra said.
Piedra then decided to start her own company, Child Talk, and she produced ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers for the general public.
ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers offers an entertaining introduction to the Spanish alphabet with fun objects, bright graphics and scenes of toddlers interacting in a playground, and playing with fun objects such as maracas (musical objects used to describe the letter "M"). The children featured in the video include Piedra's son and playmates from the Fort Lauderdale area.
"The use of little children throughout the video makes it even more enjoyable for children," said Leizy Leniart, a teacher and director of a childcare program in Fort Lauderdale.
The early years are the best years to nurture a child's foreign language development." I found that the video is a nice and easy way of learning the Spanish ABCs," said Kamal Taslimi, M.D., a pediatrician from Fort Lauderdale.
ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers is available through Child Talk's Web site at www.childtalkinc.com, through www.amazon.com; at Liberties Fine Book stores in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, and fine stores such as Salermo Jewelers in Elizabeth, NJ. The video retails for $19.95.
Benefits of Foreign Language Learning
There are numerous benefits to early childhood foreign language development. Studies show that children with foreign language skills perform better academically, have better listening and problem-solving skills and score higher on English standardized tests.
In addition, according to U.S. Census 2000 reports, one out of every 10 residents in the United States is foreign born, with 51 percent of the foreign-born population from Latin America.
"The United States is a multicultural representation of the world we live in," said Piedra.
"Exposing our children to foreign languages such as Spanish at a young age will not only give them a competitive learning advantage, but an appreciation for the diverse cultures that make up our country and our classrooms."
Through its ABC learning videos, Child Talk plans to bring this multicultural world to children and families one letter at a time, one language at a time.
For more information on Child Talk, contact Mary Piedra, at 954-537-7794 or e-mail her at mpiedra@childtalkinc.com.
Note to Editors: The following is not for publication -- Members of the media interested in viewing ABCs in Spanish for Infants and Toddlers can obtain a complimentary copy of the video by contacting Mary Piedra at Child Talk.
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