BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HITN, the leading Spanish-language network that offers educational and entertainment content to families in more than 44 million households across the United States, announced “Raising Bilingual Children in a Multicultural World,” a month-long series of Hispanic Heritage celebrations across selected Barnes & Noble stores around the country to promote the advantages of bilingual education. Planned activities include expert educational talks for parents, storytelling, and arts and crafts for kids in metro areas with large Spanish-speaking populations, including: New York, Miami, San Diego County, El Paso and McAllen. The program will also feature well-known Latin mom influencers in each city.
“Events like these that promote bilingual education are a critical way to carry out the mission of HITN Learning,” explained David Rust, General Manager of HITN Learning. “Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to encourage our audiences to feel pride in their roots while exposing them to the latest educator-approved methods in math and language learning. It’s a way for us to reaffirm our commitment to helping Hispanic/Latino families succeed socially, academically and emotionally.”
‘Raising Bilingual Children in a Multicultural World’ will present tips for parents and activities for kids over a 2-3 hour block that will be presented in seven Barnes & Noble bookstores. The program will also include fun learning activities for kids using HITN Learning’s Cleo & Cuquin Family Fun! math learning kits and app.
Each event will feature a presentation by bilingual education and media expert Dr. Mariana Diaz-Wionczek, longtime advisor for children’s educational media programs including Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street, with useful tips for parents about the benefits of exposing their children to bilingual learning at a young age.
“Bilingualism is a beautiful thing! Being able to speak two languages opens so many doors and broadens our view of the world,” Dr. Diaz-Wionczek commented. “It starts at home, when parents speak to their children in their own language. It’s important to expose children to the language as early as possible so that speaking it becomes a natural part of their lives.”
HITN Learning is the educational division of HITN. As such, it is dedicated to creating and promoting transmedia products that promote early childhood education. HITN has been a leading pioneer of this type of approach for close to a decade in collaboration with its partner, the Early Learning Collaborative (ELC), and is the recipient of a $30 million educational ‘Ready To Learn’ grant from the US Department of Education.
Locations, dates and times for the events:
Sat. 9/21: Barnes & Noble Gateway Shopping Center, 810 West Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA, 11:30 AM
Sun. 9/22: Barnes & Noble Otay Ranch Town Center, 2015 Birch Rd, Ste. 700, Chula Vista, CA, 1:00 PM
Sat. 9/28: Barnes & Noble Union Square, 3 E 17th St, New York, NY, 2:00 PM
Sun. 9/29: Barnes & Noble 267 7th Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, 12:00 PM
Sat. 10/5: Barnes & Noble Fountains at Farah, 8889 Gateway Blvd. West Suite 120, El Paso, TX, 11:30 AM
Sun. 10/6: Barnes & Noble Palms Crossing, 3300 Expressway 83 #1100, McAllen, TX, 1:00 PM
Sat. 10/12: Barnes & Noble Kendall Village West, 12405 N. Kendall Drive, Miami, FL, 11:30 AM
For more information, click here.
About Dr. Mariana Diaz-Wionczek
Dr. Mariana Diaz-Wionczek is an educator and researcher specializing in educational media products for children, and a consultant who advises audiovisual media on issues related to multiculturalism and bilingual content. In addition to publishing several articles in educational media journals, she has produced and served as educational, cultural and research director for several TV productions where her influence has been crucial in promoting values such as diversity and inclusion.
Mariana earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a PhD in the same field from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. Her papers have appeared in leading academic journals and publications specializing in educational media for children and include such titles as: Educational Preschool Programming in the US: An Ecological and Evolutionary Story; Geographic Education for Preschoolers: The Dora the Explorer Contribution; Dora the Explorer: America’s Bilingual Role Model; Dora the Explorer: An Insiders’ Perspective; and Exploring the Media with Dora: A Preschool Introduction to Media Literacy. Mariana teaches graduate courses at the Department of Psychology at New York University and Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.
About HITN Learning
HITN Learning is committed to the social, emotional, and academic success of Hispanic/Latino children ages 0-14. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, and teachers with original learning media products, in English and Spanish, which engage Hispanic families on their education journey. HITN Learning serves learners from all cultural backgrounds who value the bilingual English-Spanish experience. To learn more visit www.hitnlearning.org.