St. Cletus School teacher Nairely Nieves reads a book written in Spanish to preschoolers in the dual-language program. The La Grange school is the first suburban school in the Archdiocese of Chicago to offer a dual-language program. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

Half of the preschoolers at St. Cletus School in La Grange are spending almost all of their school day immersed in Spanish — and are doing just fine.

St. Cletus is the first suburban school in the Archdiocese of Chicago, which covers Cook and Lake counties, to offer a dual-language program. Starting with this year’s preschool class, St. Cletus’ parents have the option to have their child in a traditional classroom setting or the dual-language program.

Every year going forward, there will be a dual-language class added, meaning for the 2025-26 school year, St. Cletus will offer a dual-language option for both preschool and kindergarten.

“The hope is to get all the way to eighth grade where we’ll have a traditional English classroom for each grade and the dual-language immersion, so the parents can decide do they want to keep their child in the traditional track or do they want to do the dual-language track,” said Frank Ochoa, dual-language immersion coordinator at St. Cletus School.

He noted that 90 percent of the preschool curriculum for the 19 preschoolers in the dual-language program is taught in Spanish to immerse the students in the language.

Gregory Porod, principal at the La Grange school, said the dual-language program has only been up and running for a few weeks and the preschoolers are embracing the two languages.

Greg Porod, principal of St. Cletus School, expects the dual-language program to boost enrollment. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

“They’re starting to pick up on some words,” Porod said. “It’s intriguing to see it happening.”

Ochoa said with any language there are steps to acquiring the language, such as comprehension.

“We’ll give them instructions in Spanish. They may respond in English, but they are understanding what we’re saying,” the immersion coordinator said. “Then they’ll reach the point where they’re comfortable speaking it, and then when they get into the upper grades, they’ll be more comfortable reading it, and then finally writing it.”

The University of Notre Dame is backing the effort with a grant and guidance. It is the third dual-language program that Notre Dame is supporting. It also supports programs at St. Procopius School in Chicago and Holy Cross School in South Bend, Indiana.

“There are many social-emotional benefits,” said Katy Lichon, a professor at Notre Dame and director of the Catholic School Advantage program, which oversees the dual-language effort. “I think there is a lot of value in learning skills like another language.

“There is real beauty in the bilingual brain. Students in dual language fare better at multiple academic levels; and there is the career piece in the benefit of knowing a different language.”

Lichon practices what she preaches.

Her own daughter, Mary Francis, is a sixth-grader in the dual-language program at Holy Cross School, who has been immersed in Spanish since a preschooler. With copies of “Harry Potter” in both English and Spanish on Mary Francis’ nightstand, Lichon asked her daughter which version she preferred reading.

“She said, ‘Mom, they’re the same,’” Lichon said.

She noted that her daughter reads and writes above grade level in both English and Spanish and has

no issue picking up a book in either language.

“It’s beautiful, as an adult, to see. She has been immersed in it since a young kid. She doesn’t know any difference,” Lichon said. “She has no issue writing a 500-word essay in Spanish.”

Leaders at St. Cletus hope to see similar dual-language abilities in their sixth-grade students in eight years.

“We’re off to a good start,” said Ochoa, who oversees the dual-language program. “The entire school community has embraced the program even though it’s only currently affecting preschool. Every year, we will add a grade.”

Principal Porod worked at St. Procopius for a while and knows about the Chicago school’s work in dual language as well.

“(St. Procopius has) a much higher Hispanic population, more Spanish-speaking children coming in and their first language being Spanish and they’re learning English,” he said. “We’re kind of the opposite here, where our children are speaking English, but they’re learning Spanish. So even though we may have a Latino child in the classroom that doesn’t necessarily mean that they speak Spanish.”

Notre Dame’s Lichon noted that Holy Cross School has gone from an enrollment of 180 students to more than 400 due to the dual-language program.

Porod said the La Grange school of 255 students hopes to boost enrollment to 300 through the dual-language program in the not-too-distant future.

“We are taking every advantage we have to market this program,” Porod said. “Notre Dame has shared with us that we will see enrollment grow over time. Our goal is if we wind up with the dual-language class and the Anglo class that if we could continue to build approximately 20 students in each room over the course of time that is going to build the school, sustain the school, keep the school going.

“We’re at a good point as we continue to watch enrollment numbers. This is just another benefit to provide that dual-language opportunity.”

Ochoa said the St. Cletus community has transitioned well to the dual-language program.

“We expect there’ll be growing pains,” the immersion coordinator said, “but we’re staying positive.”

Notre Dame’s Lichon said having a suburban school in the Chicago archdiocese providing the dual-language program is a good step.

“We are looking at expanding the reach toward the suburbs,” she said. “It parallels with Hispanic growth in general.”

She hopes the St. Cletus program will lead to other schools in the archdiocese becoming dual-language facilities.

She said Notre Dame is happy to provide support for dual-language programs in the area.

“Notre Dame believes in the two-track idea,” Lichon said.

She noted that 1-in-10 children are already entering American classrooms needing to learn a second language.

“There are children who do it every day, that do not speak English,” Lichon said. “There is nothing harder than immigrant children entering traditional classrooms.”

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com