Preschool paves way for bilingual students

Little Genius School cultivates fluency in English, Spanish

MOSES LAKE — Little Genius School owner Kortni Nelson looks around the room in AIM (Athletes in Motion) Gymnastics, where her students are in the middle of painting and playing.

"We like a mess," Nelson says matter-of-factly.

The school, presently completing the second of its four-week summer camp, will begin its fall session the first week of September.

The school has been around for a while, Nelson said, but the opening in September will mark its first time as an organized preschool.

"We started as a parent-tot group," she said, noting that she first attended with her eldest daughter, now 4 years old, and participated in such activities as storybooks and songs. It grew from a half-hour per week into hour-long sessions several times a week, until it became more like a school, Nelson explained.

Another woman coordinated the original group, but left in January. Nelson hired that woman's original teacher's assistant and began the Little Genius School.

Nelson is also co-owner of AIM Gymnastics, from which the pre-school has rented space. Beginning Aug. 1, the Little Genius School will move into the old Crab Creek Brewery, located at 416 S. Western Ave.

Nelson moved to Moses Lake with her husband of eight years, Brandon, five years ago. Upon moving, she began working for the Moses Lake School District as a kindergarten teacher.

Being a teacher, Nelson is following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.

"My degree is early childhood, so I really like the 3-,4- and 5- year-olds," she said.

About 10 children are enrolled in the summer camp, which goes from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday and is entirely in Spanish. The Little Genius School has an English section for 3- and 4 year-olds, another section for 4- and 5-year-olds, and Spanish immersion classes for those same age groups, meaning that the preschool can handle about 50 students.

The curriculum for both sections are the same — math, exposure to letters and some lessons about the culture. There are several different activities, like dance, African drums or clogging, that can also be added to the preschool services through AIM Gymnastics.

Adult classes and after school classes in Spanish are also available. The Spanish classes are taught by Mireya Ceja.

Nelson said she is amazed at the sponge-like abilities of her 4-year-old daughter, Hanna, to learn the Spanish language.

"She can count up to 25 in English in Spanish, she knows all her colors in English and Spanish, all the body parts, she knows a ton of songs," Nelson said. "And my 18-month-old knows 'heads, shoulders, knees and toes.' She can list them in Spanish."

It was the desire to foster that learning, and to spend more time with her daughters, that led her to leave the school district. "The kids are so young and able to handle so much, that I want to be able to offer more. They can handle more."

News of the Spanish lessons initially surprises some people, Nelson said. Many ask if the children are confused, learning two languages so early, but Nelson quickly dispels that with tales of how receptive the students are.

"I've had a lot of people where the parents speak Spanish, and grandmother speaks Spanish," she said. "They're excited to get them talking with other children in Spanish, so that it seems more comfortable to them."

Nelson said research shows that students perform better on the language sections of the SATs or in problem solving when they learn Spanish early. She's also seen her daughter grow more culturally aware, receptive and understanding as a result, she said.

"My philosophy of the school is that the children learn through play," she said, explaining that children are allowed to roam between different stations. "They learn with them not thinking they're learning. It's not the worksheet, the pencil, paper type things — it's sensory tables and blocks and building."

The preschool, while child-driven, is also a time to prepare for kindergarten, with carpet time and snack time.

"Being a kindergarten teacher, I could see which ones come in having a teacher-child relationship, rather than the ones that are standing on the tables or underneath the tables," she said. "I still want to teach them respect for teachers, adults and other students."

For information about the Little Genius School, call (509) 764-4747.