As director of the state's first dual-language immersion charter school, she was trying to spread the word to Spanish-speaking parents that the school was public, free and a way for students to flourish in two languages.

Near the carniceria and a magazine rack with People en Español, Barrientos made her pitch to moms for whom charter schools are a foreign concept in a foreign language. But learning Spanish at school is not always what parents want for their children.

"Many people in the Spanish-speaking community have internalized the message about language - that preserving their native language will hurt their child," Barrientos said.

She and other founders of Dual Immersion Academy believe the opposite to be true and point to research to back them up. They plan to launch Utah's first dual-immersion charter school this fall, where kindergarten through sixth-grade students will begin to master Spanish and English from Day One.

Students will normally spend every other day in a different language, whereas teachers typically stick to either Spanish or English, depending on their backgrounds.

Interest, particularly from the English-speaking community, has been strong, and it's primarily spaces for native Spanish speakers that remain. The school has committed to having a population that is approximately 50 percent Spanish-speaking, 50 percent English-speaking at home.

"Probably the No. 1 question I get is: 'How much is the tuition?' " Barrientos said.

Charter schools are free public schools that stand apart from traditional public schools through their small class size, independence and parental involvement.

By locating the school on Salt Lake City's west side at 1155 S. Glendale Drive, officials hope to reach a more diverse group of students. Charter schools have received criticism for being in affluent neighborhoods and serving populations that are often more homogenous than the districts in which they are located.

But rather than being just a "neighborhood" school, DIA will educate students from all over the Wasatch Front. As a charter school, no school district boundaries limit who can enroll in the school.

A number of the original founding parents had previously enrolled their children in a Spanish-language preschool in Sugar House. Seeing how quickly their kids perfected their language skills, some parents see Dual Immersion Academy as a means of building on the preschool, McKee Language School.

"It seemed intuitive to me, almost common sense, that [children] should learn a second language as soon as possible," said Barbara Fink, the charter school's board president whose child attended McKee and will go to the new charter school.

Daniel Mata, who was born and raised in Mexico, believes his kindergartner will thrive at the new school.

Later on, her bilingualism will open up future career options and allow her to communicate with more people, he said.

Dual-language programs are growing in popularity throughout the state, though they are often less ambitious in scale than Dual Immersion Academy.

Dixie Downs Elementary in St. George, a traditional public school that started a dual-language program last fall, has seen interest grow. Last year 40 children left the school in light of the dual language conversion, but 80 children switched to Dixie Downs. This year about 120 students opted in to the school from outside its boundaries.

"Spanish-speaking children learn English more rapidly if they're taught half-time in Spanish," said Dale Porter, Dixie Downs' principal. "School makes sense to them."

But all children benefit from the dual-language environment, he said.

"I could not find one study that came out on the negative side," the principal said.

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* JULIA LYON can be contacted at jlyon@sltrib.com or 801-257-8748.