Jardin de Niños Interlingua International School

My school has been a great experience for my family. We can't believe how quickly our daughter has learned to speak spanish. She is only two years old and she knows her vowels in Spanish! I'm so impressed that they are NAEYC accredited, not many schools have this accreditation. The IB curriculum is amazing! I'm confident that our daughter is learning to be a global citizen and be open minded to other cultures. And OMG! The teachers! I can't say enough. All the teachers at Jardin de Ninos are so loving and nourturing to the children. I'm so glad we picked this school!
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been attending Jardin for over 4 years and we have been extremely pleased with their academic and social development thus far. Both of my children at ages 4 and 6 are proficient in Spanish and enjoy learning French and Mandarin. The IB curriculum has made them internationally minded and inquisitive just as the IB curriculum prescribes. The teachers are very caring and invested in seeing each child meet his/her potential which is indeed a blessing.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's 4th year at JDNI and we're both sad that she won't be here next year (We will be moving to another State). Previously she was at a private school and neither my husband nor I have once regretted the decision to enroll her here! This school does exactly what they claim to---to teach children the basics while also teaching them to be respectful to all, to be critical thinkers, to ask questions, to be a participant in today's world instead of a bystander, etc. The teachers are THE BEST b/c they truly care about each and every child in the class and strive to help each student 'grow more brain!' The entire staff, including the wonderful principal Mr. Rodriguez, is awesome! If you want the best education for your child. We will miss Jardin very much!!
—Submitted by a parent

Jardin is a fabulous school. I love the fact that it the curriculum is internationally minded. It is so important for our children (preschool and kindergarten) to understand they are part of a global environment. In addition to the curriculum Jardin has a wonderful administrative team. Mrs. Rodriguez the principal is an amazing person. Teachers are very caring. Jardin cares about their school and they do everything they can to make sure your child's experience is a good one both academically and emotionally. They are always available to parents. We continue to see more parent involvement PTA, I love our new PTA president Marisol F. I am a high maintenance parent in some ways and I cannot say enough good about our school.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a Kindergarten and a Pre K student I can say that JDNI has been a wonderful choice for our children and family. While the IB curriculum is dynamic, connecting county standards to real world applications, I feel that more importantly, my children are learning about how to be a responsible and caring people in the world. The "taking action" component is our favorite part. My sons are learning to think about how they can make the world a better place, whether recycling, cleaning up area parks or beaches, or simply showing kindness to a friend. Extracurricular clubs are also great! Brain Food, Percussion, Spanish Club, United Nations, Save the Planet, Garden Club... All of these provide such awesome opportunities to form relationships with classmates/peers and develop much different intelligence. When K students are researching and learning how they're choices matter- I think that says a lot! Even though my first grader has surpassed grade level expectations at this time- he is still being pushed and challenged academically every day. And is excited about his accomplishments. Great families, great teachers, great kids, amazing director, great school!
—Submitted by a parent

I don't recommend this school. My son attended JDNI for almost a year. At first we were really excited and impressed with the school, teachers and administrative staff. But little did we know that the owner, Adriana Rodriguez, was going to end up being a condescending, self-interested and ambitious individual whom only goal in life is become a millionaire at other people s expense. I do have to say, however, that the teachers and director were always nice and caring, but the poor administrative skills of the owner made it hard for the teachers to do their job appropriately. The program is a great idea. It is a shame that it s being handled by the wrong people.
—Submitted by a parent

I give the school high marks primarily because my daughter enjoys the school and her Spanish continues to improve. She continues to develop more social awareness and has built a good relationship with her peers and teachers. To me that is the most important part of my review. However, I do see some fundamental issues with the school. First, there has been a high turnover of teachers and this is critical because it impacts our kids who need stability. Second, the administration can do a better job at providing early and accurate communication to parents. Third, there has been a drop-off in parent involvement. Overall, the school can use more consistency and focus on the basics. Branching out to open more schools and take on more programs is taking a toll on the school. I just hope the administration takes this as constructive criticism to put more focus on strengthening the current programs and less on expansion.
—Submitted by a parent

I couldnt be happier that I found this amazing school.The teachers are amazing and nourtering to all the children.My son loves attending school each day and always looks foward to this in the mornings.His development is so advanced for his age and his spanish vocabulary is lets just say "woowww".Jardin De Ninos WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My kids have been enrolled in Jardin de Ninos for the past two years and we have had a great experience there. The teachers are all outstanding and sweet, they are very professional! The spanish curiculum is impressive and the management is great. The ratios here are lower than anywhere else I had toured.
—Submitted by a parent

I am so happy to have found Jardin de Ninos. My daughter had never been in a preschool or daycare setting before we decided to place her in this school and she has exceld tremendouslly in just the six months or so that she has attended. Her Spanish and social skills have increased in ways that would not have been possible without this school. She looks forward to coming to school everyday and talks about her teachers as friends. I have been impressed by all of the teachers in which my daughter comes into contact. The past few months there have been several improvements because they are working on being NAEYC accredited. I never realized until now how important it is to have my daughter in a school accredited by NAEYC until now, but I support any changes the school makes in order to do so.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been attending this school for the past two years. When she first started I was very pleased with the teachers, the parental involvement, and the amount of Spanish she was learning. Unfortunately, over the past year things have steadily declined. The director has run off most of the talented teachers, she discourages parents from getting involved, the tuition and fees have increased while the program has gone downhill. I am so dissapointed that I have pulled my daughter out of the program.
—Submitted by a parent

We love this school!!! Our Little one has been there since Sept. and really enjoys all the teachers and staff. She has grown so much and looks forward to being at school.
—Submitted by a parent

A very bad school. They do not moniter the classrooms and they have bullying problems. We complained and were told it wasn't true, so we tried to sit in on the class, but then were told it was "against Texas law" for us to be in the classroom. We told them this was not true since our AISD elementary school has an Open Door Policy and we are welcome anytime. Why wouldn't they want parental involvement? And why lie to their parents about a "Texas Law' that won't allow us to sit in on a classroom. There is no such law. I think because the classes are not properly monitered and they don't want the parents to see that. Also this school proudly tells us they model themselves after the schools in Mexico. Really? Don't they have one of the worst educational problems in the world? This school is a waste of money and time. There are much better bilingual schools for kids that actually welcome parental involvement
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children currently attending Jardin. The older one began attending Jardin when the school opened in Sept. 2007, and my youngest began day care there when he turned 3 months old. All of my children (3) have attended daycare in Austin since they were infants, and I can say that of all the daycare centers we have used (5), Jardin is by far, the best. The teachers are truly caring and patient. My kindergartener is now completely fluent in Spanish: reading, writing and speaking. Both my children love attending school and their teachers. The director goes above and beyond to make sure that the children are well taken care of and that they are academically advanced, beyond any state requirement. Jardin has truly been a blessing to us.
—Submitted by a parent

School has a very unhappy staff that does not deliver to the kids. Since my child has been in that school, my child's' teacher has changed more than two times. The school owner Adriana Rodrigues appears to be always more interested in the monetary gain of the school than the education she suppose to deliver. So far, I have not seen my child work on any project. Every time I go pick her up she is always watching a movie. I would not recommend this school at all.
—Submitted by a parent

love it! not only is our son obviously learning a lot, even more importantly in my opinion, i feel like he is loved-on all day by the caring hands of ALL of the teachers at Jardin de Ninos (we go to the north location). all of the teachers know my son and are so super sweet and caring towards him. he loves going to school everyday :)
—Submitted by a parent

Be aware!. Spend time watching the classes because you would be so surprised to see how they treat the kids. I would not recommend the school to anyone

Our daughter has been going to Jardin De Ninos for almost two years now-- first at the original location and now at the North location. We have been very happy with the quality of her education; the teachers and both directors were excellent. Occasionally we had mis-communications about school policies, but these problems were minor. Our daughter loves going to school every day; she is fully bilingual and her academic progress has been excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

I would recommend Jardin De Ninos to every parent. The director Adriana Rodrigues is always on site, available for consultation and is engaged with the children. She has sought highly educated and caring teachers who are commited to excellence in both education and child care. It is more than a school, it is an extended family and community. My husband and I feel good and trust the care and education that the school provides.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been going since summer 2009. We really like the teacher and feel like they are really learning. I think it is harder on the children that go part time to keep up. I would like to see more parent time, so I think I will sign up as a class mom. The joy of having our family learning Spanish through our children is truly amazing. We are staying and adding more days.
—Submitted by a parent