Children are like sponges—they learn really quick without having to worry about translating,” said Adriana Bastow, owner and director of Excelencia Creative Bilingual Preschool.
She said that is why students at the school are almost fully immersed in the Spanish language.
“Spanish is a valuable asset to have, especially here in Texas,” Bastow said. “So it seemed natural to combine my love for teaching children and at the same time giving them the opportunity to learn a second language. And over our past six years we have seen that it truly works.”
Bastow, a native of Colombia, has lived in the United States for 20 years. She opened Excelencia in 2010 at 901 Royal Lane, Cedar Park. The original building reached capacity, and Bastow is opening a second Excelencia Preschool location at 501 Denali Pass Drive, Cedar Park, on Sept. 19.
Bastow said she has worked at preschools in Colombia, where students moved between classrooms for different subjects, and in Texas, where students often spend the entire day in the same classroom. In Columbia, she said she saw fewer behavioral problems. When Bastow opened Excelencia, she applied the Columbian model.
“I love that [philosophy],” said Nicole Arevalo, a Leander resident who has a daughter enrolled at Excelencia and two older children who graduated from the preschool. “I think it keeps the kids interested and engaged in different environments” she said.
The Denali Pass location features six rooms painted different colors, each with a separate theme. The red room is the drama room; the purple room is for music and movement; the room painted light blue is the art center; and the green room is for science, technology, engineering, art and math, or STEAM learning, Bastow said.
There is also a room for blocks and puzzles and another for story and circle time, where students acquire reading and writing skills, she said.
Bastow said the school puts emphasis on teacher-guided play and hands-on activities, which revolve around a weekly theme.
“You can tell Adriana really cares about the kids and the curriculum and making sure there is a good balance between the play and curriculum,” Arevalo said.
In addition to the new 3,600-square-foot building, the 1.3-acre property attached to the school allows for outdoor activities, including a playscape and a splash pad.
Parents can enroll children as young as 18 months, and the school does not require any prior Spanish knowledge, Bastow said.
Students are immersed in Spanish until they are 4 years old, she said. Then the curriculum is taught half in Spanish and half in English to prepare students for kindergarten.
“I really believe that Adriana and her staff have played a significant role in the development of our kids,” Arevalo said.
Programs allow students to attend:
Full-time (Mon.-Fri.) Part-time (Mon., Wed., Fri.) Part-time (Tue., Thu.)
Excelencia Creative Bilingual Preschool
901 Royal Lane, Cedar Park 512-219-8081
501 Denali Pass Drive, Cedar Park 512-337-7054 www.excelenciapreschool.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
