IRVINE : Mother Goose Meets Many Cultures

In many ways, it looks like an ordinary classroom. Three- and 4-year-olds recite Mother Goose rhymes in unison while standing in front of a poster that illustrates the illusory ideal of perfect cursive writing.

But there is nothing ordinary about the students or the school.

The Montessori International Early Childhood Education center is one of the county’s few bilingual preschools, where languages spoken by teachers and students include Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. The school’s 180 students share in holidays ranging from Chinese New Year to Cinco de Mayo.

On Friday, 40 Japanese students put on brightly colored kimonos and displayed finely crafted dolls, passed down among family members for generations. They sang and danced to the delight of parents in a celebration of Hina-Matsuri or “doll festival,” a cultural event observed throughout Japan on March 3.

Many of the students are from families on temporary transfer to the United States by employers. But for Osaka-native Yoshiko Yamanaka, a permanent U.S. resident married to an American-born husband, the school is an important link between cultures for her 4-year-old son, Bobby.

“I want him to continue in the ways of both countries,” she said.

Federal funding for the school, which began in 1987, is scheduled to end this year. The school is part of the Irvine Unified School District, operating out of buildings at a closed elementary school. Principal Robin Beacham said the tuition-based school will become financially self-sufficient in June.

Students learn basic skills in their native languages and English. “This is a cultural sharing experience,” teacher Kaoru Suda said.