This school year, 100 kindergarteners attending the J. Ralph McIlvaine Early Childhood Center in Magnolia, Delaware entered the state’s only Chinese language immersion program. The program was successfully launched thanks to the efforts of several University of Delaware alumni and the support of UD’s Confucius Institute.

Kevin Fitzgerald, superintendent of the Caesar Rodney School District, jumped at the opportunity to provide kindergarten students with the advantage of learning Chinese. Fitzgerald earned his doctorate from the School of Education. Principal Sherry Kijowski and Assistant Principal Brook Castillo of the McIlvaine Early Childhood Center, both also School of Education graduates, were responsible for implementing the program at the center. Please see the full story online.