First English, then Chinese

Jim Rogers, co-founder of the Quantum Fund, has a lovely two- year-old daughter. She's as normal as the child of a billionaire can be, except that she speaks Chinese as a second native language. Rogers is planning for her future and has hired a Chinese nanny. And he's proud of it. In many cases, forward- thinking Czechs are still embarrassed to discuss how much they spend on their children's education. Foreign-language schooling is a booming business in Prague, although it's usually invisible to the average person. The Czech government is planning to increase spending for language instruction, but in some circles it's no longer enough for a child merely to speak a foreign language: He or she must speak it natively. For parents, a foreign-language school or foreign nanny can present a financial burden. But for those who manage it, it opens up an entire new world for the children. [Czech Republic China languages]