Today we’d like to introduce you to Paty Carballo.
Paty, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I start my teaching experience in El Salvador as a Sunday teacher of different ages for church, it is when I discover my passion for teach.
In 2004, we moved to California, I came to the USA with Basic English but that didn’t stop me to continue my passion of teach.
In California one of my favorite job was in a small preschool as a teacher aid while in college taking early childhood education (ECE), I start college without knowing well English but I was persistent and that help me to learn the English and I graduated after struggle on the language.
After graduating I found a job opportunity in a Spanish Immersion preschool one of the best in Silicon Valley, knowing in that moment was one of the best opportunities for my career, but it was not easy to be a part of that school after many try outs as a process of hiring and doing my best I win my place in that school as a Lead teacher, I spend some years in that school loving my job and developing my passion of teach.
December 2012 we moved from California to Texas, I worked in four different preschools in the Houston area but unfortunately nothing was filling my expectation as a teacher, one of my expectation was to be able to work in a place with positive discipline and a lovely environment, but sadly every one of the four different preschool is a bad memories now, is when the idea of open a Spanish Immersion home preschool called De Colores! became to be real, I was dreaming to have a place to be able to share my knowledge and culture at the same time with the kids and families having the difference to be in an environment of the positive discipline and learning a new language.
We open De Colores! Spanish Immersion Home preschool in 2014 with a permit of preschool kids only, after a year on the business I got my Director credential and we pass all the inspections to be a licensed preschool given me the opportunity to have double of the capacity, now day we are in full capacity and De Colores! is planned to open a Center in the first months of 2018 having a waiting list on top!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the first challenge was to put on trial all of our savings that we had to open our home preschool without knowing the parents of our community would respond.
Another big challenge was to build the confidence on the parents to trust in the program and believe in me as a teacher without any review in advance, but having the best recommendation letters was my master key!
One of my personal challenges was to finish my Director classes on a short period of time being a mom of two girls and being a teacher at the same time was my challenge, took me hours of not sleep and days with a lot of coffee on it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about De Colores! Spanish Immersion Preschool – what should we know?
The Spanish Immersion Program is a unique program that creates a positive, safe, fun, and nurturing environment for successful learning, with the commitment to build the confidence to communicate and understand Spanish, appreciate the Latin American culture and to give children the opportunity to prepare for the future.
We teach in Spanish! We don’t teach Spanish.
One of our proud moments are seen the kids finish the preschool program with us and be ready to take the Spanish test in Dual Language or Spanish program to continue the education and be able to pass the fluency test, Most of our parents don’t speak the language at all but their child had the opportunity of their life to have their education as being bilingual and double the opportunities that are out there.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family for their daily support and for believe in me and for being patient on my long work days to create De colores! a successful preschool.
In special to my husband for be my right hand for believe in my project and for always be there and give me support for always push me and bring the best of me even when I don’t.
The parents of De Colores! who trust my program and always giving me a good feedback, and for being my only way to make De Colores! known by the community, thanks to them all of this is possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.spanishdecolores.com
- Phone: 2819825960
- Email: spanishdecolores@gmail.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/decoloresSIP
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