WILLIAMSBURG — Enrollment is now open for the city's first German dual language program.
P.S. 17 Henry D. Woodworth at 208 N. 5th St. will host the bilingual program that will be open to up to 18 pre-k kids and 25 kindergartners next fall, according to organizers helping get the program off the ground.
A group of parents began efforts to launch a German language program last summer, said Sylvia Wellhöfer, 38, a German-born Williamsburg resident with two young kids, who's helped spur on the initiative.
Around 130 families with ties to Germany scattered across Brooklyn expressed interest in the bilingual program, Wellhöfer said. But the program is meant to draw in English speakers as well.
"Germany is a country of engineers, of literature, music...lots of very important writers," Wellhöfer said. "It's the epicenter of Europe."
"There are 6 million reasons why I think German is worth learning," Wellhöfer said, adding the fact that most German universities are mostly free.
Like the rest of the city's dual language programs, kindergarten classes will be taught half in English and half in German, while pre-k students will be introduced to the language through playful activities with a German teacher once a day.
Actual language instruction begins in kindergarten and the goal is to balance the classes between German and English speakers. Kids will gain proficiency in both languages by third grade, Wellhöfer said.
Interested parents have until Jan. 15 to apply for their kindergartners and can do so through the Department of Education's application process and by listing P.S. 17 in their top five choices.
Applications for Pre-K will open up in early 2016.
If you want more information about the program there are three open houses and an information session in early January before the deadline. You can find more information about them and about how to RSVP here.
Once you apply by listing P.S. 17's school code - 14K017 - parents should contact the organizers of the program and mention that you want your child to be a part of it. You can reach them by email here: gdlp.brooklyn@yahoo.com.
