What ages does Texas Spanish Academy serve?
We serve families with children ages 6 weeks to 5 years through our infant, toddler, and preschool programs.
How much English and Spanish are used in the day?
Children are fully immersed in the Spanish language during their time at school. Language development is fostered through the use of Total Physical Response.
How will my child do once they go to kindergarten?
Using Spanish as our means of communication and instruction, Texas Spanish Academy utilizes a state adopted curriculum and developmental guidelines checklist and assessment to ensure school readiness skills. Upon graduating from our preschool program, children will be ahead or on level with their peers.
What curriculum or learning guidelines are used?
Texas Spanish Academy utilizes developmental guidelines for infants and toddlers. This is used in conjunction with the Texas Early Learning Council’s Early Learning Guidelines. The POCET developmental guidelines checklist is used as a mode of assessment in the infant, toddler, and preschool programs.
What are Texas Spanish Academy’s operating hours?
Our operating hours are 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Is Texas Spanish Academy open year-round?
Yes, Texas Spanish Academy operates year-round and closes only for New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, 3 days at Thanksgiving and for the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
Does Texas Spanish Academy offer part-time enrollment?
We offer flexibility in programming through both full and part-time programs with the option of 5, 3, or 2 days of enrollment.
Do you provide meals, or must we bring our own?
Nutritious morning and afternoon snacks are offered to all children on a daily basis and is included in the tuition. Students may bring their own breakfast and lunch may either be purchased or sent from home. All meals from home must come ready to serve and eat.
Which age groups wear uniforms?
Preschool aged children in the PreK 3 and PreK 4 classes wear our school uniforms from RockSports. Purchases may be made at their Round Rock store located 1609 Chisholm Trail, Round Rock, TX 78681.
How much is tuition?
Please contact us to request our tuition schedule. Texas Spanish Academy prides itself in offering competitive pricing as well as various employer and family discounts. Please call to see how your family may qualify.
May I apply in the middle of the year?
Yes! Texas Spanish Academy accepts applications for enrollment year-round.
How do I apply?
Please contact us to schedule a school tour and inquire on our next available openings for your child’s age group. Pending availability, a Guaranteed Start form, along with a deposit may be submitted. Upon receipt families will be requested to complete their child’s enrollment file with additional needed documents.
How do I hold my child’s spot for a future date?
Families seeking to secure a spot for a future date may seek to hold their place with a Guaranteed Start. Please contact the school for additional details.
Spanish Immersion FAQs
In a full immersion program, the regular school curriculum is taught entirely in Spanish, with no use of English. The goal is to provide an educational environment that will support development, academically and linguistically, in two languages. Linguistic and cultural knowledge is valued as an asset, in both English and Spanish.To best support student’s second language comprehension and development, a wide array of developmentally appropriate instructional strategies are utilized by the teachers and staff. The use of songs, familiar routines, body language, visuals, and expressive intonation are just some examples.
Why Should I Enroll My Child in a Spanish Immersion Program?
Immersion is the most effective and efficient approach to learning another language. While there are many economic and social advantages, students also gain cognitive benefits. Immersion students show greater flexible thinking, nonverbal problem-solving abilities (Met, 1998) and score higher than their monolingual peers on standardized verbal and mathematical assessments (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000; Genesee, 1987).
Won’t Hearing More Than One Language Confuse My Son/Daughter?
While your child’s brain will be processing more language than a typical monolingual child, they are able to naturally filter between the various languages. Immersion in a second language has actually been shown to enhance English language development (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000). There is also research to support that multilingual children, when taught simultaneously, will eventually academically out perform their monolingual speaking peers. (Collier & Thomas, 2004).
When is the Best Time to Introduce a New Language?
Anytime is a great time to become multilingual, however the younger the person learns, the greater the advantage they have. There is brain research supporting that there is neural activity in the brain which only occurs when exposed to multiple languages within the first few years of development.
What Can I Expect in Terms of My Child’s Spanish Language Development?
As with the development of any new language (even their first), the more they are exposed to and use it, the greater the development. Various factors will impact a child’s proficiency, including parental support and involvement, teacher expectations, and student motivation. As their language begins to emerge, the language domains will be developed in the following order: listening, speaking, reading, and finally writing.
How Can I Support My Child’s Learning if I Don’t Speak Spanish?
We encourage parents to be active in their child’s learning by providing experiences that help develop their native English language as well as apply what they are learning in school. Parents are encouraged to read daily with their child, maintain open communication with the school, and support their children’s use of Spanish outside of school.
