OC kindergarten students take part in first-ever Vietnamese immersion class

MIDWAY CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- Kindergarten students in Midway City are taking part in the state's first Vietnamese-English dual immersion program.

Students at Demille Elementary School spend half of their day learning letters, words and colors in Vietnamese and then the other half learning English.

The school began the program this year. There are 42 students enrolled, with some students speaking only English or Vietnamese and others a mix of both.

"The Vietnamese students who can keep their heritage language go on. The non-Vietnamese will get to know another language to become bilingual or trilingual," kindergarten teacher Huong Dang said.

Maria Pavia hopes her son, who speaks English and Spanish at home, can also learn Vietnamese at a young age.

"In this particular community, where Spanish and Vietnamese are very dominant, I just think that will give him such a great advantage later on in life," she said.

The school, part of the Westminster School District, worked with Cal State Fullerton and community resources to put together the unique curriculum. Administrators hope it will continue to grow.

School administrators plan to add a grade level each year to the program until it reaches sixth grade.