At Orlando Montessori Bilingual Academy, children are given a foundation for independence, problem-solving skills and Spanish that will set them up for success later in life.

When children begin attending school, parents may become concerned about where their child will fit into the traditional education model. With so many kids learning in different ways and at different levels, will their child fall behind or will they be bored?

This is never a concern for parents whose children attend a Montessori school. Developed more than 100 years ago by Dr. Maria Montessori, this educational method emphasizes learning through all five senses and allows individuals to learn and progress at their own pace. At Orlando Montessori Bilingual Academy, Director Lucelis Torres says, “There is no pressure for students to keep up, or no chance of becoming bored if they have advanced. If they are progressing, we will keep advancing them. If they need more time to master certain materials, our curriculum is built for that.”

Founded 22 years ago, Orlando Montessori Bilingual Academy (OMBA) is a family-owned business educating toddlers, pre-K and kindergarten, and lower elementary (grades 1-3) and upper elementary (grades 4-6) students on practical life skills, math, culture, language and more in a safe, nurturing space. The environment is collaborative, and students are grouped together in these programs, which fosters a natural environment of peer-to-peer learning and interaction.

“You begin to see a community forming and the older students become leaders and mentors,” says Torres. “When they see a younger peer struggling, they don’t hesitate to jump in and help them out, and the younger children are more receptive to their older peers and getting their help.”

Research shows that Montessori children are not only better prepared for higher education, but for life in general—showing an innate enthusiasm for learning, responsibility and ability to adapt to new situations.

“Children learn to respect their peers and become comfortable looking up to older children and role models, and those role models become comfortable as leaders, and being in front of groups and public speaking,” says Torres.

Another valuable skill for the leaders of the future is the ability to speak more than one language. “One of the key things about our world today, having one language is almost obsolete,” Torres says. “As people, we are immersed with world issues, and with the growth of social media, we engage easily with other countries. There is a huge benefit to being able to communicate with other people across the world.”

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages, and OMBA offers full immersion in Spanish beginning at age 2, when children’s brains are most flexible and apt to acquire language skills. “At that age, they are able to acquire two or even three languages simultaneously,” she says.

All teachers at OMBA are bilingual and use both languages when speaking with and instructing the students. The school has big plans to ramp up the Spanish language program by opening a chapter of The Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad, with its new expansion taking place in 2020. OMBA will be growing from a facility with room for 85 students, to one that can accommodate approximately 200. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of February.

Torres says this will allow the school to offer more extracurricular activities and clubs, and enrich the Spanish club to include Spanish debate to strengthen their language skills.

They also plan on expanding environmental appreciation with individualized outdoor classrooms for children to develop an understanding of how math and science are also a part of nature.

Orlando Montessori Bilingual Academy will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility, and Torres says this is an exciting time for the whole team. “For 22 years as a small, family-owned facility with a passion of teaching and working with students and families—it has been something long overdue. So many people have been involved to help make this dream come true,” Torres says. “This growth is a huge step toward enriching our community and we welcome visitors to tour the new facility with open arms.”

Will my child be confused learning a second language?
OMBA is a Spanish immersion school that focuses on developing bilingual students.

There is this huge misconception that bilingual kids get confused learning two languages at once. Many parents become concerned that they will develop speech impairment or become unable to learn properly. Torres says learning a second language does not cause confusion nor develop speech delays.

“Going to a school where another language is spoken may spark a period where they are not speaking as much, but rest assured that they are absorbing the language that is being spoken. This is not to be labeled as confusion,” she says.

Being immersed in a language environment is one of the easiest and quickest ways to learn a language. Children initially listen and take everything in. They will eventually start to speak, and will catch up quite quickly.

As the students learn to speak in two languages at once, they can also learn to read and write. Even though the alphabets and sounds of some letters are different, children are able to distinguish between them with time.

“There are many misconceptions about bilingualism,” she adds. “Children around the world are raised to be multilingual individuals. Learning a new language and becoming proficient at it, is priceless.”

Whatever your reasons are for exposing your child to a new language, the benefits of being bilingual far outweigh any disadvantages of being bilingual.

Orlando Montessori Bilingual Academy
61 S. Dean Road | Orlando
407-482-2370 | OrlandoMontessori.com

This article originally appeared in Orlando Family Magazine’s January 2020 issue.