new nursery school set to open next month will teach its young students both Spanish and sign language.

The Maranatha Daycare Centre, situated in the lower hall of the Midland Heights Seventh Day Adventist Church on North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, will officially open its doors on April 1.

The nursery, available to toddlers above the age of two, will be staffed by four accredited and CPR-certified teachers dedicated to making the school a place "where happy children learn for a brighter future''.

"There is a high percentage of deaf people on the Island,'' said deputy director Pauletta Furbert. "It is difficult to find schools that deal specifically with that problem.

"We are here to assist those children with their learning, signing and speaking.'' All of the children will be taught one letter, number or colour per week and will eventually be able to sign complete sentences.

They will also learn signs that reflect subjects of interest such as animals.

hree-year-old Raanan Ben-Aviel is the only deaf student signed up so far, but the school has hopes of helping many more.

Raanan's mother, Heidi, was delighted that the Maranatha Daycare Centre will cater to her son's needs.

"It is great,'' she said. "For months I have been looking for something for Raanan.

"Most (nursery) schools don't accommodate deaf children. This school is like a God-send.'' Raanan has already started working with teacher Gloria Hall and is progressing well, his mother added.

He will also spend time with a Government speech pathologist twice a month as well as a Child & Family Services speech therapist each week.

aycare is also the place where children can get a headstart on picking up a second language.

Spanish teacher Barbara Trott is one of the army of experts who say it is easier for children to learn foreign languages at an early age: "At the tender age of four or five they can catch on and remember much faster,'' she said. "Most young kids enjoy it and it usually stays with them for life.'' Mrs. Furbert agreed, adding that the Island needed to keep up with the rest of the world when it came to teaching children foreign languages.

"We are going into the 21st century and English is no longer the main language of the world,'' she said.

"Bermuda is behind in the sense that many other countries are teaching their young children two or three languages at a time.'' She stressed that the children would not learn "textbook'' Spanish, but would be taught how to apply the language to their everyday lives through simple conversation and songs. Maranatha Daycare Centre was conceived after a survey of Hamilton Parish residents revealed a need for another nursery school in the area.

"We took out a survey on the Crawl and Bailey's Bay area and found that day care was priority, top of the list,'' Mrs. Furbert recalled.

"With this new nursery we are fulfilling the needs of our community as Stepping Stones is moving and the only other nurseries in the area are Gwen's Wonderland and Rainbow Corner.'' rs. Furbert added that Maranatha Daycare Centre would aim to provide a "safe, loving, Christian environment and structured educational programme for the development of happy, creative, confident children'' by helping them discover their creative abilities and talents.

The new school's curriculum will also incorporate both summer swimming lessons and music.

In addition, the children will concentrate on monthly themes such as fire fighters, gardens, zoo animals, cultures and wheels.

Registration for the Maranatha Daycare Centre is still on-going and interested parents are asked to contact Mrs. Furbert on 293-8770.