More Than Childcare: Inside Amistad’s Early Learning Program

Today, I spent the morning in our Early Learning classrooms and witnessed exactly what makes Seattle Amistad School different. We are not a daycare—we provide real education, real foundation-building, and real community.

The environment is intentional. Toddlers and preschoolers are nurtured in a warm, culturally rich space where Spanish immersion blends seamlessly with high-quality early childhood education. Our youngest students experience color, curiosity, structure, and love—elements that form the beginning of a lifelong learning journey.

Moving through the Orugas and Mariposas classrooms, the depth of care was palpable. Love flows in every direction: from teachers to students, students to one another, and teachers supporting each other. The classrooms are thoughtfully organized with bilingual learning tools and visual systems that spark interest. Everything supports independence, joy, and early biliteracy.

Learning unfolds naturally. Children sing, count, explore, act out stories, build patterns, test ideas, and ask questions, and their teachers follow with genuine curiosity. Learning is woven into every moment: letter sounds during morning songs, early math during block play, vocabulary through dramatic play, and social-emotional learning during minor conflicts that become teaching opportunities.

Curriculum begins now, not kindergarten. Our Early Learning program offers play-based Spanish immersion, early literacy and pre-math development, outdoor exploration, music and movement, sensory learning, and social-emotional growth. Through 100% Spanish immersion, children naturally acquire vocabulary, listening skills, and early biliteracy while building confidence and independence.

At the heart of this program are teachers like Lead Orugas Teacher Martha, who left nursing to pursue education and be present for her own children. She mastered Spanish and English beyond her native Garífuna. Her dedication and warmth shine through, and children and families respond with trust and joy.

This is what makes our Early Learning Program unique. It's not simply where children spend their day—it's where they begin to understand who they are, what they can do, and how they belong in a multilingual, multicultural world.

What I saw today was foundation-building, community-building, identity-building. Our youngest students aren't waiting to learn—they're already learning, growing, questioning, and thriving.

Seattle Amistad School's Early Learning Program prepares children not just for kindergarten, but for the world.