KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Inicios1.2.3, a Spanish-speaking immersive preschool in Knoxville, is teaching children the language through a Spanish-based curriculum.
"When we met here in Knoxville, we knew this dream could be true," Inicios1.2.3 Executive Director Karina Estrada said.
Estrada and Nelly Garcia are both from Mexico and dream of teaching East Tennessee children Spanish.
"We just teach the basics at the beginning," Estrada said. "It's just like days of the week, months of the year and seasons of the year."
On the day WBIR visited, the students learned about seasons and colors. They headed out to the playground to collect fallen leaves from trees.
"You have to have them out in the world to see, you know, to have the sense of what they're learning," Estrada said.
One student, Ryland, is using the Spanish he learns to connect more with his Chilean heritage.
"When he gets to speak with his grandparents who are in Chile, they are so grateful that he can have a conversation with them in their native language," Estrada said.
Estrada said kids are "little sponges" and can pick up a new language easily.
The teacher encourages parents to expose their children to a second or third language as early as possible. She said they're grateful for the reception Knoxvillians have given them.
You can learn more about Inicios1.2.3 here.