Best Language Classes Kansas City Near Me

Andrea Duloc: I have taken French 101, French 102, Pilates in French, and am part of an ongoing french conversation group on Monday evenings (which has been offered free for members!)- all through Alliance Francaise. I find Alliance Francaise (AFKC) a wonderful asset to Kansas City for those who wish to learn French and French culture. This is volunteer-run and lead organization, and year to year, there are some variations in activities and classes, as would be expected. In my experience, a combination of study from podcasts and an online course (for me, radio lingua/Coffee Break French has wonderful content), along with in-class courses through AFKC is a great combination - the first gives me a foundation, and the second challenges me and allows me to connect and practice. Both are invaluable, and I am very grateful to all the volunteers who keep AFKC going!

Bryan Boccard: I took the summer French 101 Course this past summer and I was very disappointed with the course. The teacher was unprepared for the lesson every time, and he didn't seem to have a set lesson plan from week to week. The teacher's English ability wasn't very good so he wasn't able to answer basic questions that students had, and often he would laugh at students when they asked a question as if what they were asking was stupid or obvious.I have taken 3 years of Spanish and a semester of Japanese, so I know how a language course should be taught and organized. There was no organization, rigor, or standards in this course.I would not recommend taking lessons with this organization if you are wanting to learn French.

Martin Rivarola: Cannot say enough great things about this program and Jennifer. Our two kids (now ages 10 and 9) have been taking classes for close to 5 years now. For 3+ years, these classes have been online and for the past year they have been small group/private and specially prepared for their growth and development. They have had tremendous progress. Jennifer is patient and develops great content and educational materials for them. I highly recommend these classes. Thanks Jennifer for all of the work you have put into my two little ones.

Alicia Lea: My child participated in Jugando, a drop-off class. I liked that Mrs. Vallejo incorporated art, music, and reading into the class. She even provided a bit of homework for between classes.

Kristina Dech: Both of our children participated a couple of times in Jugando classes as well as in a week Summer camp geared for elementary aged children this past year. While it has been a semester since our last class, my nearly five-year-old asks frequently how to say words and phrases in Spanish. His appetite and desire has been awakened for a second language! My almost seven-year-old has been in numerous classes with Ms Jennifer (Pasitos and Jugando) over the years, and her accent is lovely as she practices with our Spanish speaking family members.Ms Jennifer gears the Jugando classes to engage elementary aged children with themed activities as they rotate through stations set up to experience a fun and hands on hour of Spanish immersion. Jennifer is a naturally gifted teacher, a native Spanish speaker from Bolivia, and has pursued graduate studies in education and language development! Young children are developmentally capable of "picking up" languages so much easier than middle/high school students or adults. Exposure to the sounds and immersion in a second language at this age is a huge gift parents can invest in children.

Eden Ecklund: My daughters, age 4 and age 18 months, and I enjoyed Jennifer’s classes very much. She is warm, friendly, personable, and focused. She is able to lead both small and large classes with a gentle tone, and children respond to her very quickly and positively.The class is structured so the children practice about ten songs/session, always beginning with “Buenos Dias” and ending with “Adios, Amigos.” The next-to-the-last song is typically a lullaby, and that signals to the children that the class is coming to a close and that it’s time to settle down before concluding. The children are encouraged to be active throughout the class, by picking up/setting down items to dancing with scarves, to playing and sharing a variety of musical instruments. Jennifer is careful to include everyone and to show no partiality. In addition, Jennifer offers her classes at several different locations throughout the KC metro area.My 4-year old daughter began humming and then singing several of the songs after just a few (demo) classes; this told me that she was interested in learning Spanish and able to absorb words from a new language without needing a literal word-for-word translation (like I seem to need). I know that children are so much better equipped to learn new language patterns than adults, so I wanted to be sure that my daughter had an introduction to a language other than English.My 18-month old daughter doesn’t speak much in English yet, much less in Spanish, but I’m curious to listen for her first words – who knows what language she’ll choose! Additionally, she responds extremely well to music, so this class was very enjoyable to her, even though she wasn’t directly learning the words like my older daughter.I would recommend this class to other parents and children, in the hopes that other children could be exposed in a systematic way to a new language. The first several classes may feel daunting, simply because of the amount of new information (new words) to take in, but I’d encourage parents/children to persevere and commit to the class for its duration. It is truly an enjoyable experience!

lauren hodgson: We loved taking classes from Miss Jennifer. She is absolutely wonderful with toddlers and preschoolers. Her classes were very engaging- there were songs, movement, crafts, instruments and though the classes were all different, there was a lot of repetition so kids could memorize songs. My son still sings songs in Spanish!It was amazing how fast his little brain absorbed another language. I love knowing I am giving him a foundation for a second language even if I can't speak one myself.I absolutely recommend Jennifer's classes and there are several locations where you can attend her classes!

Erika D: My kids love Jennifer! I have a 3-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. They sing her Spanish songs all the time. So cute! She has a passion for teaching Spanish. It is evident that she puts a lot of work into preparing each lesson to make them fun and engaging. I appreciate her creativity, too! Little puppets, songs, art projects, games to keep little learners moving around and interested.I love that Jennifer is a native to Bolivia, so I know that my kids are picking up a great accent & proper grammar.She has two locations for classes, so don't worry if you don't live in South Kansas City.

Cristi Williams: We absolutely love it at Foreign Language Academy! Our son has been in their Spanish immersion program for the last 7 years. This school is a hidden gem in the KC Public Schools! The teachers are knowledgeable, dedicated, hard working, and caring. Dr Ramsdell and his staff are top-notch. Every adult there is vested in the children, and because there is such a low turnover rate for their students, everyone knows everyone. They utilize the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Kids "Leader in Me" program and International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program provide a well-rounded education that develops new language acquisition, accountability, and educational inquiry. Thank you FLA!

Ahbay Franco: There teaching is backwards

Dania Camerillo: Wonderful facility. Awesome hard working and caring teachers. I appreciate them at a time like this when we are in quarantine. Both of my children’s teachers have reached out to check on them and that is important! It brought smiles to their faces. The only thing that I question is for the years my children have been there all I get is rudeness from the office staff. I’ve only approached them with respect. Yet, they are short and snippy. I understand everyone has bad days, but as a healthcare professional, I have bad days to but I do not take it out on my patients. Wish they would account for how they make certain parents feel sometimes. Other than that, I would recommend this school to anyone. Best KCPS school there is! Thank you FLA for your hard work and dedication to all the students! You are appreciated.

Crypton: Best ever.

Isabella Campos: Learned a lot

Ibrahime Dia: Amazing school wonderful people

Sydney Glavin: What kind of languages do they teach

Jahir Martinez: I was a student in the school best school in my opinion

ahmed abbas: Great staff and teachers.. before and after school program for is very helpful to the students.

Matthew Sosa: Amazing Kansas City Public School offering full immersion Spanish or Mandarin K-8, with some of the best standardized testing results in the district. Don't move out of KC for KS schools: find out how to get your kids here every morning!