Language development specialists have discovered that most children learn languages best before puberty. During the years leading up to puberty, children’s brains are capable of absorbing new languages with less effort than the brains of children who are post-pubescent. As a result, pre-pubescent children are able to think in a new language far more quickly than their post-pubescent counterparts, and children prior to puberty are also able to retain those languages more easily than if they learn the languages after puberty. Funding is limited for second language programs, so schools in this country tend to delay the study of modern languages until high school; but young children would benefit from second language programs in the elementary years.

Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?