Mi Escuelita en Español is a Spanish-immersion preschool and forest school for children ages 15 months to 5 years old, offering a gentle transition from home life to grade school.
Founded in 2010, our program is inspired by Waldorf and LifeWays Early Childhood philosophies and designed to support the whole child through play, rhythm, and meaningful connection to the natural world.
Our program is 100% Spanish immersion, offering children the gift of language and culture from their earliest years. Spanish is woven naturally into every part of the day—through songs, stories, daily routines, and imaginative play—allowing children to absorb the language joyfully and authentically.
How Children Learn at Mi Escuelita
Our environment is intentionally designed to support key areas of early childhood development:
Practical Life Skills
Children build confidence and independence through everyday activities such as cooking, baking, gardening, cleaning, sorting, and building- experiences that mirror meaningful work in the home.
Language & Early Literacy
Lifelong literacy begins with rhythm and repetition. Children engage in nursery rhymes, seasonal verses, songs, finger plays, and gesture games during circle time and transitions, all in Spanish.
Imaginative & Creative Play
Open-ended, child-led play encourages problem-solving, creativity, and both fine and gross motor development. Children explore with natural, age-appropriate indoor and outdoor materials that invite curiosity and invention.
Love for Nature
Daily outdoor play and gardening foster a deep connection to the natural world. Children learn through hands-on experiences with “nature toys” such as sand, water, seeds, plants, mud, and stones.
Social & Emotional Development
Through daily interactions, children learn to care for one another—developing empathy, awareness of others’ feelings, cooperation, sharing, and respect for individual differences.
Healthy Habits
A balanced rhythm of play, clean-up, meals, and rest supports children in developing healthy routines and self-regulation.
A Lifelong Love of Learning
Wonder, joy, discovery, and exploration are at the center of our days. Children are encouraged to approach learning with curiosity, confidence, and delight.
Previous slide
Next slide
Founder & Head Teacher
Inés is a proud Latina immigrant, mother, and educator with over 20 years of experience in early childhood education.
Trained in both Peru and the United States, she holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and the highest California Child Development Program Permit. Inés is currently completing her International Waldorf Teacher’s Credential, a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and the ECE Equity Leadership Academy at the Children’s Council of San Francisco.
Her journey began in Lima in 1998, and after moving to San Francisco, she dedicated her career to building nurturing, creative learning spaces for children. In 2010, she founded Mi Escuelita en Español, where language, nature, and community come together.
Inés is also a deeply engaged community leader, offering mentorship and support to Peruvian and Latina families and educators throughout the Bay Area. She will soon serve as a Educator Mentor for first year students of the City College of San Francisco, continuing her commitment to strengthening and uplifting early childhood education communities.
Awards & Credentials
ECE Equity Leadership Academy at the Children’s Council of San Francisco
Medal of Excellence –International Gold Excellence Awards 2024
Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America Member
LifeWays Early Childhood & Human Development Training Graduate
Certified Massage Therapist (CA)
20+ years of hands-on experience with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
Our Philosophy
At the heart of Mi Escuelita en Español are five core pillars of early childhood care:
Warmth
A loving, homelike environment where children feel safe and seen
Rhythm
Predictable daily and seasonal rhythms that foster security and ease
Activity
Purposeful work and play that supports independence and creativity
Rest
Time for quiet, reflection, and restoration
We are proud to be affiliated with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), connecting us to the highest standards in early childhood education and a professional community dedicated to children’s healthy development and learning.
Our Forest School Approach
Mi Escuelita en Español embraces a forest school model, also known as a nature-based preschool. Learning takes place outdoors every day and is learner-led, allowing children’s natural curiosity to guide exploration and play.
Unlike traditional outdoor education, forest school learning is not focused on formal instruction or scientific outcomes. Instead, it values unstructured play, exploration, and discovery, trusting children to lead their own learning journeys in nature—rain or shine.
What parents say
My daughter loves Ines. She is so thoughtful and intentional about everything the kids do. My daughter is thriving learning to be so independent while at the same time very empathetic to her little classroom community.
We could not be more thrilled with our experiences with Mi Escuelita. We feel like we have the best of both worlds – the diversity in curriculum and experiences that comes from large programs with the intimacy and personalized attention from such a small program.
Mi Escuelita has been wonderful for our daughter. She is learning to be more independent and forging new social connections with Ines and the other kids. She is excited to go every morning and comes home exhausted.
More than just a joyful place
A nurturing space where children grow and thrive, rooted in language, creativity, and nature.
