Spanish Schools for Kids in Santa Monica and Malibu, California
There are many different attractions along the Los Angeles coast that give us a great cultural overview of West LA. From the painted lifeguard towers at Venice Beach to the endless pier at Malibu Farm, these beach towns represent two dreamy and relaxing destinations to live in, especially with children. Both Malibu and Santa Monica are great cities for them to grow up in, as there are lots of amenities and things to do for them.
Even though in these areas approximately 70% of the population speaks English, according to the United States Census Bureau (1 – 2), is it very well-known that in the United States the Spanish-speaking population is growing rapidly in the California county. For this reason, we believe that choosing a Spanish bilingual approach to education is one of the greatest ways to ensure the future of our children. Being bilingual in the United States brings lots of benefits within, such as better job opportunities and better life quality in the future. So, what could be better than supporting our children to learn and develop themselves in one of the most important languages in the United States and in the world as it is Spanish?
We at TrufluencyKids Spanish, have taken the effort to seek for some of the top options for your children to learn Spanish in the Santa Monica/Malibu area since we know how difficult it can be to find the best option for our children’s education.
About This Resource
Before we start, we will talk about what you will find in this guide. This resource was created in order for you to get to know some of the best options for your children to learn Spanish in the Santa Monica – Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD). (See map). However, we will also show you private schools, after-schools, language classes, as we know that each family has different goals, lifestyles and needs and we want to be a guide for everyone.
Education is always evolving, so if you see, in this guide, something that’s outdated, we will really appreciate it if you contact us, as we want to keep all of the information shown updated so this guide can be useful for parents no matter if they are reading it in 2022 or 2030.
If you’re a Santa Monica – Malibu USD boundaries resident, and this is your first time registering your child at a school in the district, you need to complete their enrolling process meeting the guidelines required. Remember that you must also locate your school as the registration process takes place at your assigned neighborhood school. Some students might be placed in a school outside their residential attendance area by the Superintendent or designee to avoid overcrowding. Parents/tutors of students who are attending schools outside of their residential attendance area will be notified of the school their child will be attending.
In this resource you will find only Spanish Immersion/Two-way immersion as in TruFluencyKids Spanish we believe immersion and early exposure as the best way to build knowledge in a new language for kids.
Santa Monica / Malibu USD Two-Way Dual Language Program
Highlighted Santa Monica – Malibu USD schools for Spanish learning
Edison Language Academy
At Edison, all students from Preschool through 5th grade learn in Spanish and English with the goals of developing proficiency, becoming multicultural learners, and mastering curriculum in all other areas. Edison focuses on the development of the whole child and offers an academically rigorous program of education.
They have been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the US Department of Education and as a Title I Academic Achievement School by the California State Department of Education. Their program is enriched by the arts and a focus on the cultures of the Americas.
In their Dual Immersion program, students learn to appreciate other cultures and to view differences in language and customs as a positive learning experience. Also, students who complete their immersion program can be expected to perform as well or better than non-immersion students in traditional programs. Most immersion students reach higher levels of second-language proficiency than students in other types of school language programs.
Besides their Spanish Immersion Program, they also count on other programs such as summer reading, Special Education, Afterschool, and Recorrido a Latino América.
This time, in SMMUSD there are no more schools that offer an immersion program for Spanish. Still, John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High School offer a continuation of the Spanish Dual Language program started at Edison so your children will be learning Spanish all along their student years.
Private Schools, Preschool, and After-School Programs for Spanish Learning
Worldspeak School
Worldspeak is a school that features full-immersion Spanish, Russian and Chinese preschool and elementary programs. They focus on every child’s unique window of opportunity to help them learn a new language naturally as well as to develop themselves with academic skills such as arts, music, and science, and life skills such as to have fun and being social. In their Language immersion preschool, native Spanish speakers and teachers from Mexico, guide children through a day filled with activities. Children play musical instruments, sing songs, build toys, and do some artwork among other things while learning the language.
They also have an Afterschool Language Immersion and STEM program that focuses on Chinese, Spanish, Science, Mathematics, and Coding. For enrolling in this school, you need to register for an interview or an open house tour.
Worldspeak has an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Yelp! and you can see very good reviews like this one:
“I have had my son here for 2 years and in the summer program for almost 3 consecutive years. Now that there are COVID rules, they have really pivoted and provided a safe environment for my son. It was important to me as having an only child that he gets a chance to interact with other kids often. We, therefore, sent him back to school as soon as we could. Great idea! Dad gets to work, but my son is learning at a high level, interacting with peers, and is in a much better space mentally and physically. The Language program is why we looked at this school. It is top-notch. however, the size allows 1-1 instruction, and my son is flying through the work, allowing him to get ahead of his peers. The pace is set by the student. I am very pleased with my experience at WorldSpeak.”
Un Mundo de Amigos Preschool
Un mundo de amigos offers free and fee-for-service preschool education for kids 3-5 years old. Their mission is to develop active thinkers in a safe, loving dual-language and balanced learning environment that inspires children of diverse backgrounds to fulfill their unlimited potential. Their child-centered philosophy is committed to developing every aspect of the child’s life by learning through play and exploration and developing great social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and creative skills.
If you want your children to attend this school, you can have a school tour to see if UMDA Preschool is the right choice for your family. They have a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Facebook Reviews.
Multicultural Learning Center
MLC is a K-8 public Charter school that was founded with the vision to “bring together a diverse community of learners where cultural and individual differences are the building blocks of academic, social and intrapersonal success.”
Their Vision is centered around equity and diversity in public education and the strong belief that schools have the potential and power to impact the community in which it resides. They have a Dual-Immersion Spanish program as they are committed to developing literacy in two languages. And to make all students develop content knowledge and academic vocabulary in both languages at adult levels by the end of eighth grade.
They have an overall Niche grade of B-, and reviews like the ones below on Yelp!:
“I’m so happy that my kids have had the opportunity to go to MLC. Gayle, the Director, is very warm and has always been accessible. All three of my kids had Senora Menendez for both kinder and first. She’s amazing! The school is welcoming of students with disabilities and our IEP services have been great. I love that my kids are bilingual. It’s amazing when we’re out in public and they’re able to communicate with people from different backgrounds. MLC is small so it’s more like a family- everyone knows everyone and the kids grow up together. It’s been a great experience.”
“MLC is an amazingly wonderful school! It’s a small K-8 school with caring, dedicated teachers, staff and administration. Everyone on campus knows all of the children and are there to support them. MLC is a Spanish Immersion school, so children have the gift of learning in two languages. We have been so happy at MLC (children started in Kindergarten) and grateful for the MLC community. One child has graduated from MLC and one is in MLC Middle School, and both are thriving!”
Tribú Global Language and Learning Center
Tribú is a school that uses a Language rich curriculum that focuses on an immersive and natural approach to learning. Their staff creates an atmosphere of natural learning while the small class allows children for individual attention to address specific needs and learning styles in the targeted language.
They provide classes to people of all ages but their dual immersion preschool helps children by teaching them all of their academic fundamentals in both Spanish and English. In this school, your children will learn to be more empathetic, expressive, and well-rounded human beings as well as expand upon their early literacy skills. At Tribú the whole child is enriched with daily enrichment time, whether it’s art, music, movement, STEM, or yoga.
They have a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating on Yelp!. If you want to enroll your children here, you can contact them to schedule a Tour.
TruFluency Kids Spanish Immersion Program
We couldn’t complete this guide without telling you about how our immersive Spanish classes work at TruFluency Kids. We’ve worked with families all over the United States, helping their kids become fluent in Spanish.
We provide easily-to-access and flexible online Spanish classes for kids aged 4 through 17. All of our curriculum is created by Spanish native professionals that have been thoroughly trained in our own founder’s Bellieu Method for fluency.
We believe immersion to be the best way to build fluency, so all of our classes are focused on immersing your children in REAL everyday Spanish with lots of fun and engaging activities that will show really good results from the very first class. We also provide free materials and content to keep practicing during no class time. Parents love our method as kids always end up wanting more. You can see some testimonials for TruFluency Kids Spanish here.
The best part is that your child could be learning from the comfort of their home, and you don’t need to pay an excessive amount of money to achieve fluency in them. Are you ready for your kids to start being bilingual? We hope to see you join us soon!