>> Nearly 30% of Chicagoans are Hispanic or Latino.

But as the city's Latino population grows passing down the language from one generation to the next can take work nationally and analysis from Pew research shows Latinos who speak Spanish at home has fallen from 78% in 2000 to 68% in 2024, that decline has been especially noticeable among U.S.

born Latinos as English becomes more dominant across generations.

But now a new generation of Latino parents are finding ways to keep Spanish a life.

For an team of sand.

Right.

And her husband, Jeremy, raising her 2 boys and Spanish.

>> Was an intentional choice.

I want children to be able to communicate with my family in Mexico and like wherever else they are.

I that was extremely important or or not.

>> And selfish.

They also didn't want to be like that stereotype of an American family that has an Au sable kid.

And, you know, everyone talks crowd.

>> Jeremy was raised in Mississippi in didn't grow up speaking Spanish.

It was very challenging, especially when Sebastien of the first on the younger.

>> I first started with readings have every night and Spanish.

And so I would keep myself and words here.

And there.

>> Out, but keeping Spanish alive from one generation to the next can be challenging in general.

Yes, we do see that immigrants com, for example, you know, and they're modeling well in Spanish.

Their children are, you know, typically bilingual in English and Spanish.

The English is typically stronger.

And then the grandchildren.

Sometimes they speak.

It sometimes don't understand.

It sometimes is nothing.

So that sense, yes, there's a your camp.

A Taos ski is a Spanish studies professor at the University of Illinois.

Her research looks at how Spanish changes across generations and what helps families pass it on.

And that's what it boils down to both that linguists call it in.

Put input is language that is directed to the person who's learning, you know, you need input, love at 50 year.

>> a coffee shop in back of the Yards.

A group of parents gather for bilingual story time.

I think myself growing up only speaking Spanish, like I then learned English at a later time.

>> I just did not want her to lose our No matter is bilingual.

While her husband only speaks English, it's lot.

We have an effort to do both.

Yes, because you have to constantly switch back and forth.

If you're seen Apple Month and I would have been an of life everything is.

>> You say it twice and help with being a mom the tracking food taking care of her breastfeeding fleet deprived everything.

But it's so ISIS that, but it won't do so.

>> for a new generation of Latino parents passing down Spanish is a way to embrace both their American and Latino identities grantees to be seeing now is a lot more of the grandchildren generation.

Let's call it that they are starting to reclaim this idea of their Spanish.

Right.

And they're starting to 2 demand.

I think more space for a Latino identity that includes bilingualism.

For Angie, creating that kind of space is part of that effort.

She opened la Casa playroom so children could play and be around Spanish.

What I've been hearing from moms that come here, they take open so they feel uncomfortable, teaching them their children Spanish because they don't want to teach them the wrong Spanish and the fear of not speaking Spanish fluently is part of a larger conversation too.

The term know Sable is used negatively to describe Latinos don't speak Spanish.

>> We need to stop that bullying that happens.

We call people know sable kids.

And we say that they speak Spanglish we >> we've got a knock that off.

That doesn't help anybody.

But we need to do is encourage people to grow their standards.

But for Angie, Teach your kids, Spanish also presents challenges.

I get a lot of dirty looks, especially in white neighborhoods.

When I'm speaking to my child in Spanish, even had this white gentleman come up to me and to ask spoke English.

>> I told inspections which is how many do you He spoke one.

>> And for parents learning along the way, Jeremy says there's no perfect time to start.

You know, I started when I was 26 as it is never too get to learn as my kids learn, which is pretty And as these parents are showing, you don't have to speak.

Perfect is spying on to pass it on.

Brian does.

Freeman is back to wrap things up right after this.

>> Reflecting the people