Frequently Asked Questions 

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Given the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the health ordinances by state and city officials, will you be offering your after school program for the academic year 2020-2021 even if schools are closed, or operate on a modified schedule?

As you, we are also facing uncertainty and can't guarantee anything at this point. As of May 17, 2020, we are allowed to operate as an essential business, providing child care to families of essential workers. This might change in the near future, regardless of public and private school closures. We plan to offer our program for a small, stable group of kids following the latest, most updated recommendations from the CDC, the State of California, and the City of San Francisco.

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What are the benefits of a Spanish Immersion program compared to traditional Spanish Language instruction?

In traditional second language instruction, the target language is the subject of instruction. Immersion programs use the target language for instruction and as a means of communication. This authentic communication allows students to learn a second language in a similar -natural and organic- manner to the way that they have learned their first one, just by being surrounded by it. In addition to the benefit of bilingualism, learning a second language activates different parts of the brain, and students who participate in language immersion programs get a cognitive boost. From The University of Minnesota, CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) Research & Resources.

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Want to learn more? this article talks about the advantages of bilingualism, and the ACTFL website lists the scientifically-proven benefits of learning 2 or more languages.

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What kind of Experiential Learning activities do you offer?

We offer a comprehensive program that combines the arts with science and humanities, so on any given week we will have activities and projects including but not limited to the following:

• visual arts - drawing, painting, stamping, printing, collaging, sculpting, animating, learning about artists around the world

• music and movement - singing, playing instruments, dancing, learning about different rythms around the world, with an emphasis in hispanic/latino culture

• STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) - explore with different safe substances and materials, formulate hypothesis and run experiments, build all kinds of things, deconstruct objects (like an old radio), gardening, learn about the physical world and their properties

• drama and storytelling - dramatic play and theatre, puppetry, story time, story creation, poetry

• yoga and mindfulness - learn/practice yoga poses, learn/practice quieting the mind, breathing exercises, stretching

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We have monthly themes that guide our different activities and journeys. To see some of our activities please check out our gallery.

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How many kids do you have in your program and what's the teacher-child ratio?

Since we offer flexible enrollment options, in terms of number of days per week, we might have days in which we have 10 kids together and other days in which we have a smaller number. Teacher-child ratio is dependent on those numbers but, as a general rule, we have a maximum of 10 kids per teacher. There are two fully bilingual teachers in our team.

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Why do you offer school pick up only from schools located 1 mile or less from your space?

Since we are a start-up and have limited resources and staff members, we can only offer, included with the monthly tuition, on-foot pick up from schools that are in close proximity to our 2285 Mission St. location. We understand the challenges of  working parents in transporting their child(ren) from school to the different after school activities, so if we have a few interested families that need transportation to Aventuras from the same school or area, we can work together in finding affordable transportation options, such as ride-sharing services exclusive for children, or carpools among families. If you would like to enroll your child(ren) but their school is not within the 1 mile radius, please contact us and we can discuss options available to you.

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Why is Alvarado Elementary the exception?

Alvarado Elementary is located 1.5 miles from our space but the SFUSD provides a bus route from Alvarado that drops kids off 3 blocks away from our location, where we pick them up. Then we walk to our space.

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Do you offer a drop-in option?

Not a this time, but we might consider adding a drop-in option in the future. We are focused on our annual enrollment program with 2-days, 3-days, 4-days and 5-days a week options. If you'd like to be the first to know about new offerings please subscribe to our mailing list and we'll keep you in the loop.

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What happens on rainy days, do you still pick the kids up on foot and then walk?

We think that being under the rain -with the right gear- can be lots of fun, so yes, on rainy days we still pick up the kids from school and walk or take public transportation to our space at 2285 Mission St. Instead of playing at Mission Playground we play at our location and get the crazies out with active indoor games and other engaging activities. We might also schedule occasional local field trips (walking distance) to small businesses like bakeries or bike shops, or partner up with nearby community centers to visit their facilities and mix it up a little. On rainy days, please have your child(ren) wear waterproof outer layers and rain boots; umbrellas can be helpful but they could also be problematic and sometimes even a safety hazard when not handled properly, so we encourage the use of waterproof layers protecting the whole body, or most of it, and prefer that children don't use umbrellas.  We also ask parents to provide a change of clothes that will stay at Aventuras, just in case we need it.

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If you have other questions that we didn't address here please contact us and we'll be happy to answer them.