Programs

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La Flauta Mágica Bilingual Pre-school is a State licensed early childhood education center that offers both a bilingual pre-school program.

To attend La Flauta Mágica, children must be 3 years of age, be toilet trained, and be up to date with the State-required vaccinations.

Registrations are accepted throughout the year. In the event of no vacancies for the sessions of your choice, an alternative schedule will be proposed and your child’s name will be placed in a waiting list for your preferred days and times.

Second Language Learning Process

Children learn the Spanish language through the introductory level immersion program offered at La Flauta Mágica. English is spoken at the center, of course, but the amount of time children are exposed to Spanish increases throughout the school year. Children learn a considerable proportion of their Spanish vocabulary through songs and game related activities. Story telling (using books, puppets or flannel board figures) are also used to familiarize children with the Spanish language.

Benefits of Bilingual Educational Programs

According to several studies on bilingualism, children who learn a second language develop better

memory, show increased creativity and cognitive flexibility, and exhibit improved problem-solving

abilities and better listening skill. The earlier children are exposed to a second language the better for

them and that is why experts recommend starting a bilingual education experience during preschool (or early at home) if possible. As a result of the above-mentioned cognitive benefits, bilingual and

multilingual children tend to perform better at school and in particular do very well at reading and math, and also exhibit improved social skill.

Educational and Recreational Activities

Our program is literature and art based. Books are used to develop many of the activities scheduled during group time. Stories which are appropriate for the age and experience of the children are selected and read. Afterwards, children have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the events and characters of the books through open-ended questions and projects that bring their experience to the fore. Moreover, appropriate art, science, math, social and physical activities are carried out in class to further explore many of the books’ themes.

During outdoor activities, children use primarily a fenced playground and, depending on seasonal field conditions, they have supervised access to a grass field within the property. During outdoor time, in addition to the much needed physical activities, children also learn about the environment through both observations and hands-on experiences. The program offers opportunities for children to learn about plants, trees, fruits, seed germination, plant growth and flowering, insect behavior, bird feeding and nesting, frog early development, and the importance of environmental interconnections.

Examples of Daily Class Activities

Circle time. Art projects such as painting, cutting, tracing letters and numbers, gluing, creating objects with play-dough or papier-mâché; cooking classes; singing and dancing; outside play; yoga class. Book time. Story telling with a board; free play.

Teacher/student ratio

Pre-school age children are separated by age for many of the activities into two groups: 3-4 years old and 5 years old. The number of children per teacher is about 6-7. Kindergarten age children are in a separate classroom with a dedicated teacher.