On a dull, overcast November morning in the city of Cologne, the voices of two dozen kindergarten children can be heard singing the Spanish song, "Sol solecito calientame un poquito," which means, "Sun, come out and warm me a little." Very few of these 2-to-6-year-olds can actually speak Spanish.

Their day care center is running things in two languages: Spanish and German. The bilingual day care center concept is a successful model, said staff member Jessica Rojas Flores. She was born in Bolivia, and came to Germany from Spain two years ago to work here.

"We don't always speak Spanish with the children, but we do sing Spanish nursery rhymes. We repeat certain words like chair, table and plate, so they are learning the language playfully. The children are also very empathetic –– they speak more slowly to me when I don't understand something right away," she said.

Numerous posters with Spanish vocabulary hang on the walls. Parents and children are greeted with "Buenas dias" and bid farewell with "Adios." As the Germans learn Spanish, the child care workers are learning German during the center's day-to-day operations.

Carmen Casares Naranjo describes some of the benefits of the bilingual approach. "Some parents recently told me quite proudly that their child can already count in Spanish, and that they know all of the words of the colors," she said. "What makes this bilingual concept so special is that it helps prepare the children for life –– for everyday life. Because they need to develop strategies for situations when they might find that they are not being understood."

Peruvian-born Cynthia Malca-Buchholz initiated the........

© Deutsche Welle