Culture & Heritage · Language
Heritage Language Classes
For children who hear the language at home but cannot read it
- Placement by ability, not by age
- Speaking first, then script, then reading and writing
- Weekend timings, scheduled for your time zone
- Hybrid — same cohort and teacher, in person or online
Get started
Talk to an advisor about Heritage Language Classes.
Free consultation, no obligation.
What this program is
There is a specific gap this program exists for. A child hears Tamil or Gujarati or Bengali every day at home, understands most of it, answers in English, and cannot read a single line of it. Nothing about that is a failure of parenting — it is what happens when a language has one context and school has another — but it closes quietly, and by about twelve it is much harder to reopen.
So the classes start where the child actually is, which is almost never at the beginning. Placement is by ability rather than by age, and the early terms lean on the listening comprehension a heritage learner already has: speaking and confidence first, then the script, then reading, then writing. A child who can already follow a conversation learns to read far faster than a beginner, and being placed in a room of true beginners is the fastest way to make them quit.
The language is taught with the things it carries — stories, songs, festivals, food, the reason a particular phrase exists. Classes run on weekends because weeknights abroad are already full, online sessions are scheduled for your local evening rather than India's, and the same teacher takes the batch whether you attend in the room or on a screen that week.
How the levels progress
Placement conversation
A short session with the teacher to find out what the child already understands, says, recognises and reads — four different levels in most heritage learners. Placement follows that, not the school year.
Speaking and listening
Building confidence to answer in the language rather than about it, with vocabulary drawn from home and family life. For heritage learners this is a confidence problem more often than a knowledge one.
The script
Letters, sounds and the joins, taught in the order that gets a learner reading real words soonest rather than in alphabetical order. Handwriting is practised because it is how the script sticks.
Reading
Graded readers, then stories, then real material — signs, recipes, letters from relatives. The point at which a child reads something nobody wrote for a classroom is the point the program is aiming at.
Writing and composition
Sentences, then paragraphs, then writing to a grandparent — which is usually the most motivating assignment on the syllabus and the one families remember.
Culture in the language
Songs, stories, festivals and regional history taught in the language rather than translated out of it, so vocabulary arrives attached to something worth saying.
Assessment and what comes next
A termly assessment with written feedback, and guidance for families whose child wants to sit an external language qualification where one exists for that language.
Format and logistics
- In person where an academy runs locally, plus live online
- Weekends only — online sessions set for your local evening
- One class a week, term-based
- By ability, in age-appropriate batches
- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, Bengali and Hindi
- Switch between in-person and online in the same term
- Teachers working with minors are background checked
What you leave with
- A child who answers in the language instead of only understanding it
- The script read and written without help
- A termly written assessment showing what actually moved
- Enough footing to keep the language going after the classes stop
Pricing
Pricing for this program depends on format, cadence and length, so we quote it on the consultation call rather than publishing a number that would be wrong for most families. Ask an advisor — the call is free and there is no obligation.
Common questions
Please read before enrolling
Cultural and language education only, offered for interest and heritage. Content reflects living traditions that vary by family, region and community, and is not presented as religious instruction or authority.
Keeping a Heritage Language Alive at Home
Six sections, one sitting, plus a daily routine to print
Ready to start?
Book a free 20-minute consultation. We'll review goals, timeline, and recommend a coach.
Request your consultation