The Silicon Valley Voice

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Listos Learning: To Teach Your Children Two Languages

Language learning products for children have traditionally devoted themselves to acquiring a single language.

Silicon Valley-based Listos Learning seeks to change that.

“Listos Learning is a single mother- and woman-owned business dedicated to creating bilingual educational products for children no matter their circumstances,” said Eva Lopez, founder of Listos Learning. “Our materials are interactive, engaging, and, most importantly, bilingual in English and Spanish.”

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The fact that most language learning products for children taught only one language was a source of concern for Lopez, a parent.

“Children are losing the opportunity to pick up a second, or third, language at an early age where learning a new language is the easiest for them,” she said. “We think bilingual resources are vital to supporting children in their early language development as children have a heightened ability to learn new languages naturally, especially during the critical period of brain development (typically up to age 7).”

The origin of Listos Learning began with her daughter, reflecting the personal experiences of a mother wanting the best for her child.

“Before Listos Learning, I caved and bought materials in one language or the other but could never find exactly what I was looking for, so I decided to make them myself for my little one, Emi,” Lopez recalled.

“This passion project that started as simply wanting better for my own daughter has now spiraled into a business that has made impacts in Silicon Valley and beyond,” Lopez continued. “As the business owner, I create the materials, partner with experts in the industry as editors to ensure the materials are the best quality, and partner with nonprofit organizations to distribute our materials beyond our online retail store for children in need.”

According to Lopez, many families struggle to incorporate bilingualism in their households, pushing instead for the dominant spoken language of the region.

“We’ve heard hundreds of stories from families struggling to keep Spanish alive in their households within the Bay Area, given the dominant language is English here and the lack of bilingual resources for our children,” she said. “If a parent is past the second generation of native Spanish speakers, it becomes more and more difficult to teach your children Spanish, let alone keep the skill of speaking it yourself.”

The skill of bilingualism is especially important for young children when humans have a natural learning advantage over their older comrades.

“In the critical development stage from 0-7, children have a heightened ability to learn, allowing them to easily absorb new sounds, vocabulary and grammar,” Lopez explained. “This makes it easier for them to pick up a new language, especially in terms of pronunciation and fluency.

“Our products allow children to absorb both English and Spanish easily as the materials are interactive and playful,” Lopez continued.

The diversity of Silicon Valley makes bilingual education especially important in the region, Lopez says.

“Studies show that children who are bilingual or multilingual have better overall memory retention,” she said.

“It’s to no surprise that some of the of the top elementary schools in south Silicon Valley, that have historically had strong performance in test scores, also have dual immersion programs that are designed to help students become proficient in two languages, while also excelling academically,” Lopez continued.

Related Posts:
Santa Clara Unified: Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program is Expanding
Sunnyvale’s San Miguel Elementary Wins Award
SCUSD’s Dual Language Immersion Program Starts Second Year

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1 Comment
  1. Jim 3 weeks ago
    Reply

    Parents: teach your kids English. Then they can teach you.

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