The Thompson School District is expanding its dual language immersion program, where students go about their school days speaking English and Spanish, to early childhood education.

Cottonwood Plains Elementary School, one of the district schools that takes this approach, is adding an option for students enrolled in early child care to learn in both languages, beginning next school year, according to Early Childhood Education Director Lamb Caro during a school board meeting this month.

“We would like to grow the dual language and early childhood programs as well as enhanced learning opportunities for our youngest learners,” Caro said. The program would begin with a single classroom, with room to expand depending on the response from the community, he added.

Part of the reason for starting language development early is based on brain development, Caro said in an interview. Dendrites, parts of the brain that connect neurons, grow quickest from birth to 5 years old, making that time the best to begin learning skills such as languages.

“When we develop those dendrites, we develop different neural pathways, including language, including literacy,” Caro said. “All those things are happening at a much higher rate. That’s when they have the most growth in their brain and can most start learning different things. When they get older, typically 8 or 9, it starts to drop off. So we’re hitting them at that prime opportunity to learn not only language skills, but if you pair that with literacy or math or any academic skill, it’s going to be amazing.”

In a response to a question from board member Nancy Rumfelt, Caro said that it could be difficult to find suitable instructors to teach in two languages for such young children.

“I would venture to say that it could be a challenge, but I always think positively. And I think we could find someone,” he said.

Rumfelt said she was supportive of the idea and looking forward to its implementation.

Stu Boyd, a board member, asked whether the program could be expanded to the district’s other dual language immersion schools, namely Truscott Elementary, which also teaches classes in Spanish as well as English.

According to Caro, Cottonwood Plains was selected to begin the program because there was existing space for a new classroom, something that was not the case at Truscott. Expanding the program at Cottonwood Plains to allow for greater interest elsewhere in the district was a possibility, he said.

Early childhood education that pursues dual language immersion is somewhat rare, and according to Sara Rasmussen, director of elementary education for the district, the only similar program she was aware of was a charter school in the Poudre School District.