Garabatos Spanish Preschool

Our daughter attended Garabatos for 3 years from the age of 3 to 5. We were not specifically looking for a Spanish immersion preschool but had been searching exhaustively for preschools for a number of months. We were looking for somewhere that had a small number of students, would be nurturing to each individual, and felt like a safe and comfortable place to learn. Although we had visited locations that we thought would be acceptable, we just had not found any place that we felt was right. The minute we walked into we immediately knew there was something special about the place. It was calm, bright, and felt like a second home. There was a beautiful garden where we learned the students would plant and grow vegetables and later pick and eat them at snack time. The decor and furniture was all chosen with small children in mind, down to the specially sized tables and chairs. It spoke to our hearts. We then found that the staff led by Ms. Veronica really took an individual interest in each child's development both in learning Spanish and in social behaviors. Special attention was paid to coaching the students to work through personal problems between themselves. We were constantly kept informed of relationships our daughter had formed and how these were developed. For our case we had some specific challenges to overcome. Ms. Veronica worked closely and individually with our daughter and we kept a constant dialogue to help her overcome her particular problems. Academically I have been astonished at my daughter's progress. I recall during our first year being amazed at the older students’ grasp of the Spanish language during the performance of a play, and being highly skeptical that our daughter would be able to progress to that level. I was very wrong. Three years later our daughter took the lead part in a play and sang the lead part of a song entirely in Spanish. I felt so proud of my daughter and nothing but admiration and gratitude for her teachers. I was also worried that learning in a Spanish immersion school would hinder her development of language and numeracy in English. Again my concerns were unfounded. My daughter has excelled in number work, and has been fully prepared for regular English language Kindergarten. Finally I would like to highlight the enormous variety of activities that my daughter has been exposed to. She has taken regular classes in Music, Singing, Dance, Yoga, Science and nutrition. She has performed at concerts, including at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy. But in the end it has been the care and attention of the staff that has really stood out. They have done an amazing job of nurturing my daughter and in preparing her for her next stage in life. Ms. Veronica, we cannot thank you enough and wholeheartedly recommend Garabatos Preschool for your little one. Dr Alan and Kimberly Shafi.