Geoff L

We (boy 4yrs and girl 7 yrs) live in a Mandarin environment (Taipei, Taiwan). They are fluent in Mandarin and close to fluent in English. But this is because I spend a lot of time with them and rarely speak to them in Mandarin. Their mother only speaks Mandarin to them and when we are all together over dinner or such I try to keep things in English.
What I would like to add is that it isn't as easy as it sounds unless you already have an exsisting environment which is based on a second or third language as this kind of langauge aquisition is through natural assimilation. If there are grandparents or other family members who spend enough time with the children then this is quite easy. As the single source of English it takes discipline (especially as I can express myself pretty much as easily in Mandarin as English) and a great deal of time. As well as creating enough opportunities for them to be exposed to a variety language through other sources: movies, books, podcasts, friends who also speak the additional language, travel and now a tutor for my daughter 3hrs a week.