More and more people - hundreds of millions around the world - are living in bilingual homes. In the U.S. alone, more than 54 million people over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. Yet once children enter school, the pull towards one language becomes stronger and maintaining the bilingual advantage requires a serious family commitment - a "bilingual choice."

The good news is it's worth it. Research shows that bilingual children are known to have more social, cultural and economic opportunities as they grow to adulthood and that learning a second language from...