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Semilla
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Enrolling for Fall 2026 · Chicago

Two Languages.
One Joyful
Start.

At Semilla, every snack is a vocabulary lesson, every nap has a lullaby in two tongues, and your child's Tuesday is designed — not improvised — to build genuine bilingualism by kindergarten.

See Open SpotsSee a Full Tuesday
18 mo – 5 yrs
Spanish · English
Open 7 AM – 6 PM

Uno, dos, tres…

One, two, three…

¡Más uvas, please!

More grapes, please!

Mariposa 🦋

Butterfly

// The Method

Not flashcards.
Real immersion.

Bilingualism isn't taught in a 30-minute Spanish class. It's built across every hour of the day — in the way we greet, eat, play, and dream.

Total Immersion

Inmersión Total

Teachers switch languages fluidly throughout the day — not in separate "Spanish time" blocks. Context builds vocabulary faster than drills.

Songs & Rhythm

Canciones y Ritmo

Colombian cumbias and English nursery rhymes activate the same neural pathways. Music is our fastest language teacher.

Outdoor Language Play

Juego al Aire Libre

Outdoor sessions run entirely in the second language — naming bugs, counting clouds, narrating the slide.

Story-Led Reading

Lectura Narrativa

Every story is read twice — once per language. Children predict endings in both tongues by month three.

Daily Parent Recap

Resumen Diario

The Semilla app sends a 60-second voice note in both languages summarizing what your child learned today.

// A Child's Tuesday

Every hour, designed.

Scroll through a real day at Semilla. Nothing is improvised. Every block has a language intention, a vocabulary target, and a reason.

Young toddler arriving at a bright classroom doorway, teacher kneeling to greet them warmly
1
7:30 – 8:30 AM

Arrival & Greeting Ritual

La Llegada

Every child is welcomed at the door with a bilingual greeting exchange — teachers kneel to eye level and ask "¿Cómo estás hoy?" before switching to "How are you feeling?" The ritual sets the tone: both languages live here, and both are yours.

Buenos días·Good morning
Feliz·Happy
Cansado·Tired
Listo·Ready

¿Sabías que…? / Did you know?

"Los niños bilingües desarrollan mayor "control ejecutivo" — la capacidad de enfocarse e ignorar distracciones — desde los 7 meses de exposición."

Bilingual children develop stronger executive control — the ability to focus and filter distractions — from just 7 months of consistent dual-language exposure.

Group of toddlers sitting in a circle on colorful mats, clapping and singing with a teacher
2
8:30 – 10:00 AM

Structured Language Immersion Block

Círculo de Idiomas

Circle time alternates between English nursery rhymes and Colombian cumbias — same concepts, different sounds. By week six, children begin requesting songs by name in both languages without prompting. The block closes with a counting game: "Uno, dos, tres… one, two, three!"

Cantar·Sing
Contar·Count
Escuchar·Listen
Bailar·Dance
Toddlers playing outdoors in a garden, touching leaves and soil with a teacher observing
3
10:00 – 11:30 AM

Outdoor Sensory Play

Juego Sensorial Afuera

The outdoor session runs entirely in the second language. Teachers narrate everything — "¡Mira la mariposa!" / "Look, a butterfly!" — letting context do the translation. Children name bugs, count clouds, and describe textures in Spanish before they know they're learning.

Tierra·Dirt
Mariposa·Butterfly
Correr·Run
Suave·Soft

¿Sabías que…? / Did you know?

"El cerebro en desarrollo procesa un segundo idioma en la misma zona que el primero cuando la exposición comienza antes de los tres años."

The developing brain processes a second language in the same neural region as the first when exposure begins before age three — making true bilingualism, not translation.

Two toddlers eating lunch at a small wooden table with colorful plates, a teacher nearby
4
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Lunch: Every Snack, a Vocabulary Lesson

La Mesa Bilingüe

Lunch is structured conversation. Every food is named in both languages as it's served — "más uvas, please" is celebrated, not corrected. Teachers ask questions: "¿Qué color es la manzana? What color is the apple?" Children who answer in either language are right.

Uvas·Grapes
Manzana·Apple
Más·More
Delicioso·Delicious
Toddler sleeping peacefully on a small cot in a softly lit room with warm blankets
5
12:30 – 2:30 PM

Rest Time with Spanish Lullabies

Siesta con Nanas

Rest time is never silent at Semilla. Soft recordings of traditional lullabies — "Duérmete mi niño," "La Paloma Blanca" — play at low volume. Research shows passive auditory input during rest accelerates phonemic recognition. The language keeps working even when the child isn't.

Dormir·Sleep
Suave·Soft
Tranquilo·Calm
Soñar·Dream

¿Sabías que…? / Did you know?

"Durante el sueño, el cerebro consolida el vocabulario aprendido ese día. Los niños que escuchan música en el segundo idioma durante la siesta retienen hasta un 40% más de palabras nuevas."

During sleep, the brain consolidates vocabulary from that day. Children exposed to second-language music during rest retain up to 40% more new words by the following morning.

Parent kneeling to hug a small child at daycare pickup, both smiling warmly
6
2:30 – 5:00 PM

Afternoon Recap & Parent App Update

Resumen del Día

At pickup, teachers share a 60-second voice note via the Semilla app — recorded in both languages — describing exactly what your child said, learned, and surprised us with today. You'll hear it in the car on the way home. So will they.

Aprendí·I learned
Hoy·Today
Orgulloso·Proud
Mañana·Tomorrow

The proof is in the numbers.

94%

of Semilla graduates enter kindergarten bilingual

de nuestros graduados

18mo

earliest age we begin immersion — before fear sets in

edad mínima de ingreso

6hrs

of active bilingual exposure every single day

de inmersión diaria

3×

faster vocabulary growth vs. single-language peers

más rápido

// Families

Voices from
three kinds of families.

Dual-income parents, immigrant grandparents, and expat couples — all found what they were looking for. Not just language. Identity.

Dual-income family
"

By month four, Mateo was narrating his drawings in Spanish. Not repeating words — narrating. His abuela cried on their next video call.

Priya Ramirez, a woman with dark hair smiling warmly outdoors

Priya Ramirez

Software Engineer · Mom of Mateo, 3

Logan Square, Chicago

Heritage family
"

Mis nietos van a saber quiénes son. Semilla no es solo una escuela — es la garantía de que mi idioma sobrevive en ellos.

Carmen Villanueva, an older woman with a warm smile and silver hair

Carmen Villanueva

Grandmother of twins, 2.5

Pilsen, Chicago

Expat family
"

We relocated from Amsterdam for 24 months. Semilla meant Lena's Spanish didn't pause — it accelerated. She'll leave the US more bilingual than she arrived.

Thomas De Vries, a man with light hair smiling confidently

Thomas & Inge De Vries

Finance Director & Architect · Expats

River North, Chicago

// Enrollment

The seed is ready.
Is Tuesday?

Spots fill by March

Ready to plant the first seed?

The enrollment form asks three things: your child's age, preferred language pair, and desired start date. Five minutes. No commitment yet.

See Open Spots
Not ready yet?

See a full Tuesday, hour by hour.

Download our daily schedule — every language block, every snack, every lullaby. Proof that nothing is improvised.