Washington, DC - On Monday, October 5, Isabella & Ferdinand Spanish Language Adventures, an after-school Spanish program in Washington, D.C. for children ages 1-9, will open its doors.

Isabella & Ferdinand will offers classes to children at all levels—for children learning Spanish for the first time, already bilingual, or simply needing a supplemental class to strengthen the Spanish s/he is already learning in school.  In an email announcing the program today, Isabella & Ferdinand founders Alexandra Migoya and Pilar O’Leary state they “designed this program with [their] children in mind, desiring a high caliber Spanish language after-school program in Washington, DC which teaches Spanish language and culture at a superior level.” Unlike other local foreign language programs for kids, Isabella & Ferdinand is exclusively a Spanish language program. “We believe in doing one thing right,” state Migoya and O’Leary, who want to teach children the “King’s Spanish”.

The mission of Isabella & Ferdinand is to teach children to become linguistically fluent in Spanish and to expose them to the art and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.  Migoya and O’Leary believes this ultimately allows children to use their Spanish in a more comprehensive, effective way. 

Isabella & Ferdinand’s staff will include some of the very best Spanish language teachers in the area, all of whom are native speakers. The program’s music director, Francisco Revert, a talented young guitarist, pianist and composer hailing from Andalusia, will also be a part of every class, ensuring that music is used throughout the classroom to enhance children's learning and fun.  

Isabella & Ferdinand will be collaborating with the Embassies of Spain and Latin America, the Spanish Department of Georgetown University, Gala Hispanic Theater and other arts, educational and cultural institutions. This Fall, the program’s curriculum will focus on the Golden Age and the Age of Exploration in Spain and the Americas. To complement work in class on these themes, Isabella & Ferdinand has some special activities planned for its students, including:

·       Participating in a private guided tour hosted by the Embassy of Spain of the exhibition "The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain" at the National Gallery of Art;

·       Attending a performance of “Don Quixote de la Mancha” by the Washington Ballet;

·       Watching a special in-class flamenco guitar and dance performance to celebrate Columbus Day (also the Day of Hispanic Culture);

·       Being treated to a magic show “Amazing Dreams/Suenos Alucinantes” by Spanish magician Jorge Volta hosted by the Kids Eurofestival;

·       Attending a private screening of one of the children’s films in the Latin American Film Festival hosted by the Ibero-American Cultural Attachés Association and more.

Children will also get to “meet” Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus as they lead some of our classes on a voyage to the New World; Miguel Cervantes and his favorite knight, Don Quixote as they set off for adventures both real and imaginary; the illustrious painter Diego Velazquez as he paints “Las Meninas” and others (teachers and actors from Gala Hispanic Theatre and other arts organizations).  

Isabella & Ferdinand will offer classes in upper Georgetown at 2121 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Suite 270, Washington DC 20007 in the same building as Jonah's Treehouse.

Isabella & Ferdinand classes are 1 hour each and are offered Monday-Saturday from 9:30 to 5:45 PM. Children may take classes once to six times per week. For the youngest learners (12 months to 3 years), the program offers "Mommy and me" style classes such as Baby Barcelona and Olé and Play while older children (3-9 years) can take classes after school beginning at 3:15 PM. Classes will be purposely small (no more than 8-10 students per class), so space is extremely limited. To register, visit http://www.isabellaandferdinand.com.

For more press inquires, contact Alexandra Migoya at alexandramigoya@gmail.com or (202) 957-6484. General inquiries about Isabella & Ferdinand Spanish Language Adventures should be sent to info@isabellaandferdinand.com.