Mariposa Bilingual School
About Us
At Mariposa Bilingual School our focus is on the whole child as a person, with boundless potential. By providing quality, multi-faceted education, while creating a nurturing and supportive community of children, parents, and teachers, we believe we are able to help your child grow into the person you know they can be.To reach this goal we provide a variety of developmentally appropriate activities recognizing the individual needs and differences of children. The learning process is continually monitored on an individualized basis and these results are communicated regularly to the parent(s) for monitoring progress and making adjustments where necessary. Our goal is to stimulate a child’s drive for exploration and discovery by motivating the child with early education that is full of accomplishment, and joy.
For children ages 2 to 5 years old.
About the Staff
Mariposa Bilingual School is a preschool founded on the belief that language education is a significant influence in the life of a child. Our teachers consist of native Spanish-speakers and a native English-speakers who together provide a fully-immersive and highly-stimulating bilingual experience that engages the whole child. Holding degrees in Early Childhood Education as well as Spanish Education, our teachers have also spent many years teaching in multi-cultural, multi-lingual environments.
In addition to a Spanish language immersion program, we provide an early childhood education that focuses on the development of a child’s social, physical, intellectual, creative, and emotional growth through mixed educational lessons and play-based activities such as art, music, theater, and social games.
Positive experiences with the world’s cultures enhance our lives. Our intention is to put world culture into the hands of our children by allowing them to explore the similarities and differences of the vibrant cultures just outside our own front doors.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about Mariposa, our immersion program and a list of resources on language development and the benefits of learning a second language.
We're open:
Monday through Friday
8:00am to 5:00pm
Why Mariposa School?
Young children are able to pick up languages very quickly. Experts know that learning a second language at a young age makes it easier to learn additional languages as children get older. Language-learning skills develop important areas of the brain. By starting your child on this process early, you are ensuring that he or she will develop a life-long love for and ability towards learning a valuable life skill.
We make the learning process fun with an activity-based program that is easy for any child to transition into at any age. Your child will begin speaking Spanish words and phrases quickly, while at the same time learning songs and skits and creating works of art to show their family. Did we mention all the new friends your child will make?
A Space to Thrive and Learn
Our facilities boast clean and spacious indoor and outdoor areas that are stocked with many fun items for imaginative play.
We encourage children to be creative and expressive by supplying them with toys that develop dexterity and other vital skills; structured time to participate in music, dance, theater, and art; and reading and writing time for older children.
Why Spanish?
Over the years, many families effectively lose their heritage when younger generations lose their language of origin. While these languages of origin are many — each important and unique — we focus on Spanish. Spanish is spoken by an estimated 350 million people around the world and is the fourth-most spoken language worldwide. Spanish is the second-most-spoken language in California, and Spanish speakers make up more than 20 percent of the Bay Area’s population. Learning the language is a key step in appreciating any culture, and we strive to bring that experience to your child in daily activities that make the process fun for them.
Spanish Immersion for Grade Schoolers
Some of our students come to us already fluent in Spanish. For these students, Mariposa is a great outlet where they can speak to other children in another language. Children who enter the Mariposa program already fluent in Spanish are a great asset to the teachers and other children. They are a joy to have as little helpers, and their confidence grows enormously as they are exposed to more people who appreciate them for who they are. Even though these children will be more advanced than others their same age, they will be kept in age-appropriate classes for better socialization.
Patricia Hidalgo - Director
Patricia is a native of Guatemala who holds a degree as a preschool teacher. She has spent decades honing and refining her teaching techniques while teaching in several countries under the supervision of highly accredited institutions.
While teaching in France she was very surprised to see how quickly the children involved in immersion classes were learning new languages. When she returned to Antigua, Guatemala, her increased interest in immersion education lead her to an opportunity to begin training in Spanish grammar and conversation immersion in an accredited school with students from around the world. Patricia worked at this school for over 10 years while also volunteering at a city-run program that taught adults writing and reading.
In 2005, Patricia moved to the Bay Area and started working as a preschool teacher while also working at a weekly after-school program serving elementary schools in San Francisco.
She has continued to pursue her passion and interest in developmental education through supportive learning environments by continuing her education and becoming a licensed Center Director.
As the Director, and owner of Mariposa Bilingual School, Patricia will use her creative and educationally unique techniques and abilities to further her dream of bringing complete, quality, early childhood educational opportunities and language immersion experience to San Rafael.
Patricia believes in the value of a structured and tested curriculum and the importance of acknowledging and fostering children's interest in foreign languages and cultures.