Thank you for your interest in our brand new school!  Escuelita Alegria is Columbia’s first play-based, all-day Spanish Immersion Preschool.  Escuelita (meaning “little school) Alegria (meaning “joyful” or “happy”) was born from a desire of families and teachers to spread the gift of a bilingual education to our youngest children.  Our mission is to inspire the joy of learning and a multicultural mind through play-based, all-day Spanish language immersion for children ages 2-6 years old. As a brand new school, we are seeking to enroll students NOW to begin as early as August 19, 2024.  We have teaching staff in place for 20 children, and the space and additional staff that we could bring on to accommodate up to 55 children. The number of classrooms we open at the beginning will be entirely dependent upon student enrollment. Our location is in Downtown Columbia in the Child Development Center of First Presbyterian Church.  This beautiful facility has a separate entrance from the church, parking for pick up and drop off, and a shaded playground perfect for recess and outdoor activities.  While the school itself will not have a religious affiliation, we are pleased to be able to partner with First Presbyterian to provide a space for Escuelita Alegria (EA). While you can find further details on the website and by scheduling a tour, the basic details of our school will be as follows:

• Hours of operation: Our hours of operation will be 7:30 am – 5:30 pm with the immersion preschool class time running from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm Monday – Friday.  For families needing care in the morning (7:30-8:30) and/or in the evenings (3:30-5:30), these add-ons are available.
• Classrooms: Classes will be divided by age so that children will be taught at developmentally appropriate levels. We will teach in a Spanish immersion classroom using Experience Curriculum. This is a research-based curriculum that supports your child’s rapidly growing curiosity through hands-on learning through play. Age-based classrooms will also allow children who graduate from our pre-kindergarten class to be the correct age to begin kindergarten on the regular school calendar. Children will promote to the next class in May of each year.  These classes will be:
  • Foundations Preschool: For children who turn 2 years old by August 1. This class will *NOT* initially be full Spanish immersion, but an introduction to the Spanish language and culture using songs, stories, themes, and vocabulary to build a basis of the language. (At least 7 students will be needed to offer this class at the opening of EA.)
  • Preschool: For children who turn 3 years old by August 1. This will be an all-day Spanish immersion preschool classroom.
  • Pre-Kindergarten: For children who turn 4 years old by August 1. This class will be an all-day Spanish immersion pre-kindergarten classroom that focuses on preparing children for kindergarten.
  • *At the initial opening of the school, students of varying ages may be combined until there are enough children to separate by age*
• Tuition: We will use the Brightwheel app for both parent communication and to bill tuition. Tuition will be billed on the 15th of each month and due by the 1st of the following month.  Automatic payments can be set up online.  For families who are able to pay for four months of tuition up front, they will receive a 10% discount!
  • $200 Enrollment fee (one-time fee for each child enrolled)
  • $950/month school day tuition (8:30-4:30, includes breakfast and snacks; parents responsible for bringing lunch)
  • $90/hour/month add on for extra care (up to three hours – in the morning from 7:30-8:30 or the evenings from 3:30-4:30 or 3:30-5:30)
  • Sibling discount: 10% off total tuition for second child
  • Referral discount: $100 tuition credit for each family you refer who enrolls for at least 3 months. Credit given at 3-month enrollment date.

We are so excited to begin this new bilingual journey for Columbia’s children.  Thank you for your interest and we look forward to speaking with you about how Escuelita Alegria will fit with the educational and child care goals of your family. ¡Muchas gracias!