Keeping up a language you don't speak

[Momily]

I am considering taking in 3 children I know who are in need of a temporary home.  They would technically be my foster children, but under a special arrangement since I knew them before they were separated from their Mom.  They would probably stay with me for 6 months to a year, and then go home with Mom when she is able to care for them again.

Anyway, I mostly speak English.  The mom mostly speaks another language. The kids are fluent in both languages.  One thing I fear is that if I take them, they'll lose their orignal language and communication will be hard when they go home.  I don't want that to happen.  I particularly worry about the youngest who is 3.

My question is, if your child was fluent in a language you didn't speak, how did/would you keep it up.  Of course, I could ask the older children to speak the language to the littlest one.  They also have classes 2 days a week for 1/2 an hour in our school.  I also have friends who could speak the langauge to them, and could hire a babysitter who speaks the language once or twice a week.

What else should I be considering doing?  How realistic is it for a child to hear English all day at school, and in the place where he/she is living, and not lose their native tongue? 

[MamitaM]

Do you speak a little bit in their language? If you did then you can speak to them. If not I think you all ready have some great ideas on helping them keep their language. How about having a friend over for dinner once a week or to lunch on a Saturday each week and talking mainly in their native language? If your friends have kids you can invite them and their kids for a play date and speak that language. You can also rent movies or get books in their language and you can even try reading to them.

[texmati]

Just to share... I've noticed my second language comes back rapidly when I'm 'immersed' back into it, if that makes sense. I speak very broken gujarati, and very very seldomly use it normally. But If I'm in a situation where that's all I hear, (say, week with the inlaws), it comes back very quickly. I know it's not the same situation, but will the children have visits with their family?

[SilverFish]

i was a 3 year old suddenly removed from an environment where one language was spoken and immersed in a new environment where another language was spoken (my mother tongue remained the same, but i was completely fluent in the second language). when we moved, i refused to have anything to do with the new language, and in the interim lost much of my fluency in my second language. a child that young will be strongly affected by the sudden change, and may refuse to speak a language in an effort to regain some control over the situation. the older children will have a more logical understanding that their removal isn't permanent. anyway, i think your concerns are realistic. i think having someone in their lives that only speaks their mother's language to them on as regular a basis as possible would be the best solution. an hour or two a week might not be enough, so i would definitely make an effort to have as many sources as possible. a babysitter, friends, etc are all good ideas.