FAQ
Why start early?
Research has shown that children are born with a Language Acquisition Device which means that for their first few years of life they are able to work out grammatical rules without being taught them. But children slowly their hearing closes in on the sounds that are used around them.
Is only Spanish spoken in the class?
We believe the best way to learn a language is by speaking, speaking and speaking. However, to get there we have to improve first our vocabulary. For instance, meanwhile young children are learning their first language children are not understanding everything and working out the meaning of things through images, body language and understanding a few keywords. Same way goes for a second language. In our Spanish classes we have the necessary vocabulary through our songs, activities, story time and games with the objective to enrich the children's vocabulary which will lead them to communicate with other children in the classroom in Spanish. Well worth the effort!
In classes we will use English in only in specific cases such as when needed for classroom management or for complex instructions so we can get on with an activity or game for example but we will try to avoid this since feeling a bit confused and lost in another language is the best thing we can learn to do in order to learn any language.
Our curriculum it is well structured and children will get used to it quite quickly, normally within the first three weeks.
Why not use translated traditional songs the children are used to in English?
It just sounds unnatural. We do have a few of the usual English nursery rhymes and children’s songs translated for use at the beginning of our program because it helps to the children to recognize the rhythm of the song but we only do this at the beginning to engage the children and make them feel comfortable.
By listening originals songs from the Spanish speaking countries they are not only learning spanish if not they are also getting part of the culture as well as the natural sounds, sentences, expressions and intonations of the language.
Is my child too young?
Whether a class is right for your child or not just depends on whether they are ready for it and what you are expecting of them. Each child is different as well as the parents.
The best thing to do is to schedule a private class with a small group to do the first class to see what we offer and what is going on in the class.
What do they do in the private classes?
In private classes the material is the same as in group classes. However, the teacher will have more time to go through all the basic language every week and the advance options of our curriculum. They can also move away from the structure a little more to include your group’s likes and games but do it in Spanish.
Private classes are mobile and we can arrange the class to be hold on your own home or in one of the children’s house of the group.
How many children can attend a private class?
3 children or up to 12 children, you decide how the group is run. Keep in mind that the more children the lowest the cost would be.
How do we pay for private classes?
First private class is just have of the regular price. If you like the first class, we want you to commit to a block of at least 6 classes. Sometimes we may be flexible on blocks length. However, it all depends on teachers availability.
If the class is for a group of children we can either invoice each parent or one of the parents that wants to be in charge of the group.
How do I set up a class in my preschool?
We can set up classes in preschool in different ways. Some preschools founds the classes directly, others allow us to use the space and they charge parents to cover the cost of our classes.
The first step would be to ask your preschool owner/director whether they would be interested and if so how they would like to organize it. We can then run a FREE-NON COMMITMENT trial class and go from there. In order to test demand contact us and we will provide you a poster and brochure to put it up on a board in the preschool.
In the same way as in preschool we are flexible how we work with schools to make sure it is convenient for them to run an after school Spanish program. We do morning and after schools.
The school can founds the program directly or the school can charge parents for the classes. If the school charges directly to the parents, we will arrange a price agreement prior to start. Prices may varied on school registration. You can ask the school whether they would be interested, contact us and we will bring the necessary information to test demand and we can run a FREE-NON COMMITMENT trial class to see whether it will work and go from there.