At Excelencia we are passionate about seeing that your child has the skills to succeed in tomorrow’s world!
About Us
Adriana Bastow
Director, Excelencia Creative Bilingual Preschool
After completing a degree in Early Childhood Education from San Buenaventura University in Colombia and spending several years working in preschool education in both Colombia and Texas I am finally realizing a dream to be able to provide the very best atmosphere where children can thrive. I believe that all children deserve a loving, attentive, and nurturing environment which allows children the ability to explore and grow. At Excelencia, we provide children with hands-on learning experiences. This fosters age appropriate development. We read to the children everyday. We believe that positive reinforcement is important for children to develop self-esteem. Children need an environment that supports free expression and stimulates learning. Most importantly, however, I believe that children need to have fun! My thesis researched how children learn best through organized play activities, as opposed to traditional methods of instruction.
At Excelencia, we make sure that every child is involved in stimulating activities everyday. And of course, we make sure they have fun. Play is not a break from learning...It's the way young children learn.
All of our teachers must pass a thorough screening and background process. Many of our teachers have college degrees and all are guaranteed to have the quality personal skills to make you and your children feel welcome and appreciated. Come by for a tour and experience the difference a preschool like Excelencia makes!
Spanish Immersion
"We have strong evidence today that studying a foreign language has a ripple effect, helping to improve student performance in other subjects." - Richard Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education under Bill Clinton
Why have we chosen a language immersion curriculum? Quite simply because it is the best proven way to learn a new language. And when introduced at a young age, the assimilation is dramatically improved. More than ever we Americans are learning what many other countries have known for years. That being multilingual is not only a huge advantage for future career opportunities but also can enhance one's abilities to learn about the world, discover new cultures and increase cognitive development. Here in the U.S. many of us were taught that it was not important to learn another language because everyone speaks English or because it was too difficult to learn another language. Some families even discouraged learning another language in a belief that it was not accepted as proper in the United States. Well we have come a long way and now most Americans realize that learning another language is not only advantageous but often necessary to expand into the competitive global market. If that wasn't enough, some of the other benefits for learning a second language include, the increased understanding of ones own native language and culture, enhanced listening and memory skills, greater cognitive development in areas such as mental flexibility, creativity, and higher order thinking skills, such as problem-solving, conceptualizing, and reasoning, improved college entrance exam scores, an increase and enhanced pleasure in foreign travel, and finally to make life long friends.
So why Spanish? You might be surprised to know that Spanish is ranked as the #3 language spoken by native speakers in the world. According to vistawide.com there are approximately 350 million native Spanish speakers. It might surprise you even more to know that English is ranked #4. (Chinese is #1 and Hindi #2) Of course, English has more non-native speakers who have learned English. Again, this just reinforces the mistaken view we have had for many years, that it was not important to learn another language while millions of others have learned English. Even more important than all the statistical information for us here in central Texas is that our closest neighbor to the south is Mexico and regardless of your views on immigration, the reality is there are millions of immigrants from Mexico, Central America and South America in the US that speak Spanish and the majority of them reside in California and Texas.
"We have strong evidence today that studying a foreign language has a ripple effect, helping to improve student performance in other subjects." - Richard Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education under Bill Clinton
Why have we chosen a language immersion curriculum? Quite simply because it is the best proven way to learn a new language. And when introduced at a young age, the assimilation is dramatically improved. More than ever we Americans are learning what many other countries have known for years. That being multilingual is not only a huge advantage for future career opportunities but also can enhance one's abilities to learn about the world, discover new cultures and increase cognitive development. Here in the U.S. many of us were taught that it was not important to learn another language because everyone speaks English or because it was too difficult to learn another language. Some families even discouraged learning another language in a belief that it was not accepted as proper in the United States. Well we have come a long way and now most Americans realize that learning another language is not only advantageous but often necessary to expand into the competitive global market. If that wasn't enough, some of the other benefits for learning a second language include, the increased understanding of ones own native language and culture, enhanced listening and memory skills, greater cognitive development in areas such as mental flexibility, creativity, and higher order thinking skills, such as problem-solving, conceptualizing, and reasoning, improved college entrance exam scores, an increase and enhanced pleasure in foreign travel, and finally to make life long friends.
So why Spanish? You might be surprised to know that Spanish is ranked as the #3 language spoken by native speakers in the world. According to vistawide.com there are approximately 350 million native Spanish speakers. It might surprise you even more to know that English is ranked #4. (Chinese is #1 and Hindi #2) Of course, English has more non-native speakers who have learned English. Again, this just reinforces the mistaken view we have had for many years, that it was not important to learn another language while millions of others have learned English. Even more important than all the statistical information for us here in central Texas is that our closest neighbor to the south is Mexico and regardless of your views on immigration, the reality is there are millions of immigrants from Mexico, Central America and South America in the US that speak Spanish and the majority of them reside in California and Texas.
Our Vision
For children to gain the skills needed to excel in their future scholastic endeavors while gaining the valuable ability to communicate in Spanish. To be recognized as a leader in early childhood education with fun, educational activities guided by knowledgeable, involved, and loving teachers through an engaging and creative Spanish immersion curriculum.
Our Mission
Our Values Respect towards our children, parents, and coworkers Open and frequent communication with our parents and our staff Conscientious of Safety and Risks to our children Dedication to creating a professional, fun, and nurturing environment Creativity – Bringing new ideas to expand the minds of our children
