St. Louis, MO (October 21, 2024) St. Louis Language Immersion School (SLLIS) is proud to announce it has received a $380,000 federal grant that will allow the school to expand its Pre-K language immersion program, which allows children as young as 4 to start learning a second language.
The grant, which was awarded by The Opportunity Trust’s Charter School Program (CSP), will allow SLLIS to add a Chinese Pre-K language immersion program in the 2025-26 school year and a French Pre-K program by the 2026-27 school year. The school started a Spanish Pre-K language immersion program in 2023 with the vision of eventually offering Pre-K classes in all three of its target language programs; French, Spanish or Chinese. SLLIS Superintendent Dr. Meghan Hill said the grant will allow SLLIS to enroll up to 40 students between the Chinese and French programs over the next few years as well as add additional staff members to teach and oversee the programs.
“We are incredibly excited that this grant will allow us to offer even more incredibly unique and valuable Pre-K learning opportunities to parents and children in St. Louis,” Dr. Hill said. “Studies show that the sooner in life children can be introduced to a second language, the easier it will be for them to master that language so there’s no question that this will be extremely beneficial. Part of our strategic plan for SLLIS included the goal of eventually having Pre-K classes available in all three of our target languages that are offered to our K through eighth grade students, so we're thrilled that this will soon be a reality.”
SLLIS was founded in 2009 and is the first and only language immersion school in the St. Louis area that provides students with a free bilingual, dual language education in their choice of one of three language programs - French, Spanish or Chinese. As a charter school, the school is free for any Pre-K through eighth grade student living within the city limits of St. Louis and also includes transportation and lunches.
SLLIS will use the new grant money to hire a Pre-K teacher who speaks both Mandarin Chinese and English, and a teaching assistant for the Chinese Pre-K classroom. The school also plans to hire two Pre-K French teachers as well as a director who will oversee the entire Pre-K program. Enrollment Director Jennifer Ting said this investment means that more young learners will gain proficiency in multiple languages while building foundational literacy skills.
“It’s very exciting for SLLIS to expand to a Pre-K classroom in Chinese,” Ting said. “The positive growth in SLLIS enrollment and the increasing demand from families interested in bilingual education have truly been remarkable. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a growing number of prospective families seeking a unique learning environment that offers bilingual education, and SLLIS stands as the only school in St. Louis that provides this opportunity for free. With the expansion to another Pre-K classroom, we will be able to meet this demand more effectively and continue providing a high-quality, bilingual education for St. Louis City students.”
SLLIS is currently enrolling Pre-K students for the 2025 school year. For more information, go to https://www.sllis.org/page/enroll-now.
About St. Louis Language Immersion School
St. Louis Language Immersion School was founded in 2009 and is a charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade to the City of St. Louis. The school provides students with a world-class, global, dual language immersion education in French, Spanish or Chinese, taught by native speakers. The one of a kind school was named the 2024 Best Public Charter School in Missouri and plays an essential role in the fabric of the St. Louis community. For more information, go to www.sllis.org.