Jennifer Vallejo is a native from La Paz, Bolivia. After moving to the United States, she graduated from Barry University with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Primary Education. Teaching is her passion and she has been teaching young children for fourteen years.

Growing up, Jennifer was very curious about languages.  A student of language herself, Jennifer speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Jennifer’s teaching experience includes different educational settings.  She has taught 2nd Grade at a dual-language school in Miami, Florida.  She also taught English as a Second Language (ESL) from kindergarten to 5th grade in Kansas City, Missouri.  She has also worked at private schools and preschools as a Spanish teacher.

Jennifer and her husband are raising two bilingual children. Her journey in teaching her children Spanish and English from day one has inspired her to create three different Spanish programs.  She affirmed, “After my first son was born, my husband and I decided to raise our child to be bilingual.  We knew, by experience, how hard it is to learn a second language as adults.  So, we wanted to give our child the gift of being bilingual from day one.”  Jennifer’s experience with her own children and other children in the classroom allowed her to see how young children can learn two or more languages at the same time in a natural and playful way.

The program Pasitos (Little Steps), a parent-child program for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, was designed to reach children at a very young age, even infants.  Jennifer explains, “I already had the experience with my own son where I learned how natural it is for young children to learn two languages at the same time.  By then I knew by experience that when it comes to learning a second language, the earlier the better.”

Jennifer has designed three full Spanish immersion programs using all her experience as a teacher and a mom, and her knowledge in early childhood. These programs offer an innovative approach to teach a second language in a fun and creative way, using movement, music, and play.

Jennifer believes, if children are exposed to another language between newborn and seven years old, they can achieve good levels of proficiency and even speak with a native accent.  She can attest to the fact that speaking a second language has opened many doors for her.  Jennifer is very glad to be teaching Spanish to young children, giving them the opportunity to learn a second language in a fun way as they grow.