First German Dual Immersion Program at Ashford Park Elementary School
Park Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia has started with the new German Dual Immersion program for the 2013-2014 school year. This program represents the first public German dual immersion school in Georgia’s history and provides full immersion for children in two Kindergarten classes. The teacher Laura Miltner is committed to full German immersion and does not permit any English word to be spoken in her classroom. She has plenty of books and decorations partially provided by GAC-Foundation, the German School of Atlanta, and other German Institutions. The principal Dr. Lashawn McMillan stated that she was so excited about it, because it gives her students “the opportunity to be bilingual and fluent in more than one language which gives them a competitive advantage in our global society”. 
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Presentation of the check to Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent and John Valentine, Department of Education, by Simone Alting in the name of the Federal Republic of Germany’s Consulate General and the GAC-Foundation to support the Dual Immersion German language instruction and development in Georgia.
The Board of the German Cultural Foundation, Inc. (GACF), has approved a grant to jumpstart the first German Dual Immersion Program for the school year 2013-2014 as requested by the Georgia Department of Education for the public school system. This will give students the opportunity to be immersed in the German language from Kindergarten on, being taught all subject areas in both German and English in accordance with the CORE curriculum.
The Board is aware that by supporting the Georgia Dual Immersion Program for the German language it will play a vital role advancing German linguistic and cultural competencies for the state and region, particular in view of the growing German investment in this area. In addition, the Dual Immersion Program will benefit all participating students as bilingualism increases cognitive skills and student achievement, and supports the development of advanced linguistic and cultural proficiencies creating competitive advantages in an increasingly global marketplace.
The GACF is very excited about the potential that the Dual-Immersion program holds for the students and is looking forward to working with the Georgia Department of Education (and potentially other States) on the expansion of the program in the coming years.