About Me
As a Filipino-American mom living in Southern California, I was raised speaking only English. Like myself and my husband, many families of different cultures didn't pass on their native language to their children. I feel very fortunate to have my children in a Spanish Dual Language Immersion program. Their achievement in language learning is amazing, but I still constantly find myself unable to bring more Spanish dialogue into our home. I learned that modeling the best linguistic pronunciation wasn't necessary for learning a new language. In fact, daily practice and consistency were more valuable for new language learners.
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Because I also want to introduce Tagalog to my children, I wanted my books to keep the cost of learning a new language low while also keeping the time commitment flexible. I developed these dual language books, as a supplement to other language programs, to make it easier for parents to be part of their children's journey to becoming bilingual or even trilingual!
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Marie Urquidi
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5 REASONS TO TRY DLI PARENT BOOKS
1) EASY TO USE
I took a few Spanish classes in high school, so I thought I could easily communicate with my kindergartners. While working with them on their Spanish homework, I found that I was intimidated and realized I needed more encouragement. I created the scripted prompts and activities as a way to ease myself, parents, and children into speaking and learning a new language together.
2) COMPLIMENT WITH OTHER LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
With so many other language learning programs, books, and apps, I wanted DLI Parent Books to be another resource to accompany what is already available to them at home and at school. My goal was to create a product that allows users to casually converse with ease.
3) HERITAGE
I grew up with Tagalog spoken in the home. Though I never learned the language, I'm using DLI Parent Books to introduce Tagalog to my children. I feel it’ll help connect them to their Filipino heritage and gain more quality time with their grandparents. I’m happy to report that I’ve even learned some Tagalog since I began this project.
4) MADE FOR TALKING!
These books intend to help adults and children speak, listen, and learn a new language by doing a page or more a day. Through these easy activities, the goal is to make it fun and engaging for daily use.
5) LIFE-LONG BENEFITS
There are many benefits to being multi-lingual. Beyond having an academic advantage, a bilingual student will have more career and cultural opportunities later in life. Our family has focused on making sure our children have a bright and fulfilling future. These books not only create more quality time for us, but it encourages our children to learn more about themselves and the people around them.