Spanish All Year, Corp.

My husband and I discovered Spanish All Year when we were looking for mommy and me classes in 2019 and stumbled upon this gem. We were able to do a free trial class and fell in love with the whole school. Not only did they do Parent & me classes, but they had preschool/pre-k (which my son is currently in) and after school programs too. What makes this school so great and different is that not only do they concentrate on teaching the spanish language but they teach about the cultural. This is done through various ways such as cooking and dancing. Also, Ms. Bel (the director) and the other teachers treat each student as if they were their own which is hard to get in other schools. ---Edit to add: since my last review, the school/program(s) has been adopted by Westbury Friends School (which is literally down the road). My son still absolutely loves it here especially since the main teachers transitioned there as well.

We've been going to Spanish All Year for 5 years now and I couldn't imagine our lives without the friendships, the teachers and the classes. My children want to speak Spanish because of Spanish All Year and their love for learning the language and the culture(s) in priceless. When my children miss a couple of weeks of class for whatever reason - they cannot wait to get back and pick up where they left off. This is super enrichment - in all the ways a school can be. The language immersion is gorgeous and the teachers are fantastic. I feel so lucky to have Spanish All Year in our lives. Overall a **must** experience for us every year. Thank you!

Good Evening Everyone, Background- My son was going to another Spanish immersion program and it did not work out between us and the school. The Spanish immersion school has treated us so bad that it shook our faith in pursuing another program. My wife stayed up day and night looking for other programs. Finally, my wife came across Spanish all year. My wife said to me, lets please go check this school out it seems really good online. After coming from a bad experience from the previous school i was a bit skeptical but I went along anyway out of curiosity. When we arrived at the school Ms.Bel answered the door and met with me and my wife. From the moment we walked thru the doors of the school, what a difference. Compared to the last school Ms.Bel was so warm and full of good life and joy. She sat us down and explained the program to us. After she explained the program she gave us a tour of her beautiful school. My wife and I were completely blown away, I will get into details later. After the tour, Ms.Bel asked us what we thought of the program and we said we love it when can i son begin the program. Ms. Bel said immediately. School- The school has so many amazing qualities to it I don't know where to begin. My wife and I are believers that learning can be done in other forms outside of traditional books and thats what this school brings. Through arts, cooking, yes i said cooking activities, music, dance and science our son has fully embraced other cultures. At the age of 4 our son is realizing that there is more to the world then just the United States, its a whole world of great cultures that exist. Now, you may be thinking that this school only teaches Spanish culture. No, this school teaches about many cultures and that is what makes this school very very unique. Teachers - At my son previous school I used to drop off my son and the teachers would barely say good morning to me. At this school, I get hugs and kisses from the teachers. They also say to my son who is eager to run and begin class, no pls go back and give your mommy or daddy a hug. The teachers are well knowledgeable and very very caring. They go out of their way to make sure that each child is well take care of. Student Curriculum - At the beginning I had mentioned that the curriculum at this school is not your basic textbook curriculum. Our son sees an occupational therapist. He has issues gripping items with his hands. At our son previous school, the teachers said don't worry it will get better with time. At Spanish all year they observed and acknowledged that our son had an issue and they had a curriculum structured to help our son with his gripping issues. This is done thru cooking classes, art classes and science classes. By having the students be more engaging then just using a pencil and writing on a piece of paper I am happy to report that our son's hands has become stronger. Now our son has a stronger grip like never before. Now, we all know that teaching is not easy. Keeping kids engaged is very hard and we tip our hat to any teachers. However, these teaches I really have to not only tip my hat but salute them. The time, the thoughtfulness the creativity of the lessons plans that the school does for these students is extraordinary. Classroom Infrastructure- What impresses my wife and I the most is the fact that the school has a good amount of interior space. It is a well designed space. For example, they have a kitchen area where the kids not only eat lunch but take cooking classes as well from the teachers. I can not count the number of days my son has brought home authentic cook small dishes either some kind of desert or food. The have a full room that they use for art shows to showcase students art work as well as a dance floor for students to learn different cultural dances etc. Our son can now speak fluent Spanish and hold actual conversations at the age of 4. Ms. Martinez and her staff are the best my wife and I ever dealt with. We are proud that our son goes to this school and we will be forever grateful.

I found a dream school for my son at SAY. I came across this school as I browsed for a Spanish immersion program for my 3 y.o. who I speak to in Spanish all the time, but before joining SAY would mostly reply to me in English. I thought he needed an additional influence in order to feel comfortable speaking the language. Just a few weeks in, he began speaking to me in Spanish... and singing new songs... and talking about his friends ALL the time. This is just the practical part.. I found the solution I was looking for, but what I didn't know is that I would also find the most nurturing, friendly, and caring environment not only for my son, but for myself as a mother. This was the first school experience for my son and he was so nervous to go all by himself. All the teachers were extremely supportive throughout the whole process and made us both feel so comfortable - he went from tears to laughs in no time. It was like going to a house full of tías! Then the cherry on the top is CULTURE. They teach the Latin American culture in such a beautiful way, through dancing, cooking, music, etc... This is such a unique and eye-opening experience for kids and it's amazing to watch them enjoy and taste the essence of our roots. I could keep going and going... Do yourself and your child a favor and check out this program. It truly is a gem!

I cannot adequately express how beautiful the work that they do it Spanish All Year is. My daughter is completely fluent in Spanish, and I know a lot of her language comes from her immersion with Ms.Bel and her staff. She learned so much from her teachers of not only foundational skills, but social emotional learning, as well as cooking and dance classes that she really enjoys. The cooking classes are unique and that they celebrate Latino culture and they’re all focused on a skill that students can use in their future lives to help them cook such as spreading, slicing, mixing, needing, etc. etc. It’s incredibly functional and I love making food with my daughter and hearing her say things like “y esta manito es el ayudante que coje el tazón “ ( “and this hand is the helper that holds the bowl “ when we mix , And “ sólo adultos pueden tocar la estufa porque se puede quemar” (only Grown-ups can touch the stove because it can burn you)- And telling me “ cuando cruzamos la calle siempre tiene que darle la manito a la mami “ ( when we cross the street , you always have to hold Mami ‘s hand) I see the seeds everywhere that SAY has planted in my daughter, and i am witness to the love and care they have for each student. The children acquire Spanish through immersion intuitively through play song and the interactions with their teachers. It’s really amazing to see students of all different backgrounds understanding and speaking Spanish. Another thing that makes SAY an absolute gem is the way they pass on the love of language learning and Latino culture. The students learn about the various indigenous people groups of south and Central America and begin to embrace and love diversity. I really believe the love and pride my daughter has in her Spanish language ability is what will help her Grow and maintain her fluency. Most of us know someone who spoke another language as a child but lost it as they got older. I really believe that the pride and love that my daughter has in Spanish is going to be the key for her. I would love for her to complete pre k here and her younger sister to complete the program as well.