What's Happening in Rego Park, NY…

The combination of a growing Chinese population, the emerging importance of China on the world stage, and the value of learning a second language have come together at the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills.

Using popular songs, children as young as three months old are to learn Mandarin at the Forest Hills Y. A collaboration between the Y and the Manhattan-based Mandarin Seeds has resulted in the launching of a series of classes aimed preschool age children up to four years old.

Interests in the classes vary, with some parents being of Chinese descent and unable to speak Mandarin themselves yet keen for their children to learn the language. Other parents with no Chinese connection simply appreciate the advantage that learning a second language holds.

Christina Chang, Mandarin Seeds’ education director, explains that the Mandarin version of popular American tunes enjoyed by children will start them off learning tones, vocabulary, and sentence structure in Mandarin.

She points out the importance of children starting early while they have the natural ability to distinguish the tones and reproduce them.

Classes at the Y will start tomorrow, January 5, and the cost of the 10-week course will be $250 for members and $290 for non-members. The Y provides numerous classes covering a wide range of interests, and brochure and flyer printing is paramount to informing the public about what is available.