Episode 1: The Myths and Gifts of Bilingualism in Babies

New parents Wendy Miralda and José Paz are navigating the first year of their daughter Jelyani’s life, in Spanish. Language is key to their connection as a family and as Hondurans living in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood in Waukegan, Illinois. The Paz family never questioned teaching their baby Spanish. But many Latinos in the U.S. grapple with the misconception that doing so could delay their child learning English, or affect their development. There’s also the stigma Latinos face when they don’t teach their children Spanish.

Reporter Andrea Flores dives into the research on infant brain development that supports bilingualism, and tackles the harmful misconceptions that divide U.S. Latinos along language lines.