It used to be that learning a second language wasn’t given a second thought until children reached middle or high school. But with a rapidly diversifying culture and the availability of television programs like Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go!” even the tiniest of tots can get a head start on a dual-language learning track.

Natalia Barba, a Spanish language teacher at South Lake High School in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, has had first-hand experience learning a second language at a young age. Born in the United States, she moved with her family to Mexico when she was a baby and then returned to the States when she was a young child.

“I was rather young, so the languages were just developing,” she says. “Learning English was just like learning math. It came with the territory.”

Barba’s experience clearly illustrates the ability of young children to learn an unfamiliar language. Other findings provide evidence that monolingual infants are able to process an unfamiliar language between 8 and 18 months provided they get regular exposure. A more structured approach may be necessary for older children and adults. Some researchers have even suggested that learning a second language may be all in your head, suggesting a link between biology and linguistics.

Babies of bilingual parents benefit when mom communicates in one language and dad in another (or when the caregiver  or a good friend who the baby sees on a regular basis is foreign-speaking.) Although it’s harder for monolingual parents to support the development of a second language, it’s not impossible. Language immersion programs and foreign language classes are widely available to children today, and some specifically target children as young as one year.

“Teaching a language at a very young age is the best. This is a time when the brain is most malleable and the language skills are more easily acquired rather than waiting until high school,” says Judy Chubb, principal at Birmingham, Michigan’s Gateway Montessori School. “You learn the correct pronunciation and you can really begin to have dominance in two or more languages.”

Gateway offers partial immersion programs for the children under their care, with a Spanish teacher coming to the school twice a week. The earlier you start, Chubb says, the more success your child will have.

Rob Kaye, co-founder of Early Birds Learning, also located in Birmingham, says the key is to establish a love for the language. Comprehension, repetition of simple words and short sentences, and interaction with the instructor are the benchmarks relied upon in Early Birds foreign language programs, offered once or twice weekly, for children up to age 10.

“Children will not be fluent when they leave us, but they will have a solid foundation that can be expanded when they begin foreign language classes in their formal education,” says Kaye.

Early Birds relies on games, songs, and movement to expose children to foreign languages with native speakers guiding very young children. Kaye also says that just by learning a new language, children reap the benefits of better listening skills, better articulation in their dominant language, and better problem-solving skills.

Even without a formal classroom environment, parents can still foster bilingual development by:

• Taking a vacation to a country where the desired language is spoken.

• Watching a favorite DVD, such as Cinderella, in the target language, after your child has familiarized his or herself with the story line in English.

• Listening to age-appropriate music for infants and toddlers in your chosen language, many of which are available at your local library.

• Providing bi-lingual toys, such as those available through Leap Frog.

The key, says Kaye, is to expose the baby, toddler, or pre-schooler to the target language as often as possible and encourage an interactive environment. “Once you start on the path, it is really easy to maintain it.”