Parents who want New York’s schools to help their children become bilingual can learn details about the city’s dual language programs on Saturday, Jan. 22, at a kindergarten information fair on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The 60-minute documentary Speaking in Tongues, about four students who become fluent in two languages while attending public schools, will be shown Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. during the District 3 Elementary School Fair. A 30-minute panel discussion titled “Why Dual Language?” will follow the film.

Saturday’s fair and dual language information session are designed for parents of children who will attend kindergarten in District 3, however the information about dual language programs is applicable citywide. The fair is at PS 165, located at 234 West 109th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue and runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The most common dual language programs offer instruction in Spanish and English, but some schools  offer programs in French, Chinese, Korean, Haitian Creole, and Russian. A list of schools with dual-language classes is available from the Department of Education website.

Most dual language courses offer full-immersion instruction, with instructors speaking English half the day and a foreign language the other half. Dual language classes typically feature a mix of kids who are native English speakers alongside kids who speak a foreign language at home.

Application to a dual language program for native English-speakers is made once your child is registered and admitted at a New York school that offers a dual language class. Space in dual language classes is sometimes limited, and spots cannot always be guaranteed during the registration period. Preference may be given to parents who can prove their child will be encouraged to speak both languages at home as well as in school. Students who are still learning to speak English, or who are native speakers of another language, have the option of enrolling in dual language, English as a Second Language, or bilingual programs.