The name of this school is misleading -- it should really be "Magda's Spanish Immersion Preschool!"…read more
We are so fortunate to have found it and thankful for the year and a half our son went there. Magda, Jose, and Alfredo, and their team have built a very special environment for children to learn and play.
Progress/Education
There is a strong balance between creative play and learning. Children explore materials, arts & crafts, free art expression, as well as begin familiarity with written word and counting and practice as they get older. (For older students, parents are encouraged to get dry erase books for their kids to practice at home as well.) As any parent of a 3 year old knows, getting the full story for what they did at school is nearly impossible. Magda is fantastic at communicating how your child is doing, and puts up their work hanging on string so they can show it off to the parents at the end of each day. So as you walk in to the school, you'll see the art or numbers or fun macaroni pictures your kid has made that day. There's no pressure at all to learn or get better at things, but as a parent you still get a sense of what your child is up to there.
Feedback
As a teacher, Magda is great at involving parents in their child's discipline and focus. She would often tell us areas that we should focus on at home that would benefit his time at school as well (e.g., when a friend of our son's at school was potty training, she mentioned that it would be the right time for us to try as well...and it was). Similarly, we made sure that whatever tactics we were using for boundaries and encouragement were consistent with what she was practicing in the school.
Meals
Food is provided for the children, made in their home, using healthy choices and adapting to any dietary restrictions the children may have (e.g., vegan/vegetarian, nut allergies, or gluten-free). As a parent it was wonderful to have this extra 15 minutes in our day not having to scramble to prep and pack food, not having to freak out at a forgotten lunchbox, etc. While we were thrilled to have this perk to begin with, it was great to learn how Magda explains to the children how some kids eat meat and others don't.
Environment
There is a main room divided in 3 for children to eat, play, and learn, with reading areas and play areas. There are outside grounds for running around, with play structures.
Community
One of the things that made the school very special was how Madga brought each parent into the community, preventing people from just dropping off and leaving. Many of us are still friends and our children get together, even though our kids don't go there anymore. She created WhatsApp groups for mass notifications, held birthday parties for the kids, had holiday parties, and much more. In fact the reason we initially signed our son up was because as we were stopping by, two other parents volunteered their contact information so we could call and get their thoughts on the school.
Spanish
I feel I can shorten this section because it's obvious: It's a spanish immersion school, she redirects every conversation into Spanish if the kids speak English, and our child speaks incredibly for his age in both English and Spanish.
Overall
Magda is a compassionate, caring, loving teacher who has incredibly high standards for herself that translate to a superior day care and school for youngsters. The environment is intellectually-stimulating, respectful, inquisitive, and playful. Highly recommended.