Conversational Spanish Classes
for Kids, Teens, and Adults
With love and humor, we make you and your children bilingual
“Cruz Language Academy is a treasure for any person wanting to learn Spanish. The learning environment is one of the grand professional encouragement. My instructor Luis creatively plans lessons that are practical, easily understood, fun and most importantly effective.”
“Everything about my experience with Luis has exceeded my expectations. He is a very gracious, intelligent, and interesting individual with an impressive knowledge of the Spanish language and modern language education techniques. He is very positive, has a great sense of humor, and is a joy to be around.”
““I discovered Cruz Language Academy while on vacation in Palm Springs. My goal was to focus on conversation in Spanish. Luis customized the lessons for me. He is a brilliant teacher! Luis used a number of excellent techniques to maximize our conversation time together. We even recorded a podcast interview.”
Our Services
1:1 Virtual Private Lessons for Adults
One-on-one classes are designed for adult students from 18 to 99 years old. Personalized online instruction via Zoom from a teacher with a master's degree during a weekly session (90min. or 2 one hour lessons.
Curriculum: Prisma Latinoamericano A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 for beginning, intermediate students, and advanced students.
Location: Virtual, live Zoom classes.
1:1 Virtual Private Lessons for Kids
Spanish class for TK to 12th grade homeschooled students. We are an approved vendor for the following charter schools: Mission Vista Academy, Pacific Coast Academy, Cabrillo Point Academy, iLEAD, Sage Oak, and many more. Communicative and experiential methods.
Curriculum: Alba y Gael 1, 2, 3 for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, and Rockalingua for all levels.
Location: Virtual, live Zoom classes.
Spanish Afer School Program
Kiddos Lingua is our Spanish class for TK to 5th grade students who attend James Monroe Elementary School. Communicative and experiential methods of learning. Space is limited to 60 kids. Classes A: beginning-low Intermediate. Class B: high intermediate-advanced students.
Curriculums: Spanish for Kids, for literacy level. Alba y Gael 1, 2, 3 for beginning, intermediate and advanced students, and Rockalingua for all levels.
Location: James Monroe Elementary School. 42-100 Yucca Ln, Bermuda Dunes, CA 9220
Spanish Summer Camp
Campers will learn Spanish through games, songs, outdoor play, hands-on activities, arts and crafts, and performances. A daily Spanish project will be implemented to enhance their conversation, grammar, listening, writing, and reading skills. Teachers will engage with campers bilingually, one-on-one, and in small groups. All levels are welcome: beginning, intermediate, and advanced students.
Dates: 2nd and 3rd weeks of June
Location: Palm Valley School. 35525 Da Vall Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
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Cruz Language Academy is a private school that offers Spanish lessons for kids, adolescents, and adults. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels are open for kids and adults alike. Elementary school kids receive Spanish instruction at Kiddos Lingua: after school program, a class group limited to 30 students for scholars attending James Monroe Elementary School from late August to mid-June.
Adult students receive instruction one-on-one via Zoom all-year-round.
Our highly qualified teachers hold Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Spanish. have teaching credentials and 20+ years of experience. Our teaching methods focus on practicing, practicing, and practicing Spanish from day one using the experiential methodology and the communicative approach. We center on the real proficiency of the student improving his listening, reading-comprehension, writing, speaking, and Spanish grammar.
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PRIVATE SPANISH LESSONS
One-on-one virtual sessions Zoom, tailoring an individual's needs.
How many sessions? 4, 5, or more per calendar month according to the package selected.
How long? 90min., or 2 one-hour/sessions a week.
When? Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm all year-round.
Where? Zoom, live lessons.
Length of the course: Minimum a semester. Ongoing classes. All year-long.
LEARNING SETTINGS:
Virtual Learning: Spanish teachers and students are in different locations at the same time via Zoom.
Face to Face: Spanish teacher delivers the lecture to the student in the same physical location at the same time. (Only available for kids enrolled in the Spanish after-school program and Spanish Summer Camp).
Blended: Face-to-face and virtual learning combined. Online practice with the Spanish instructor's supervision.
Our native speakers, certified, and experienced teachers will teach you Spanish in a stress-free atmosphere during the current school year. They will use the experiential and communicative approaches so you can use Spanish from day one in your daily live. Instructors will also provide a variety of materials -free of charge- like textbooks, workbooks, bilingual dictionaries, and online resources per session.
Our Spanish teachers will ask you to complete academic activities, exercises, and projects in class and/or outside the class. All activities will be evaluated and oral/written feedback will be given. Professors will encourage you to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Spanish with native and non-native speakers systematically.
Our Spanish instructors will determine your fluency level by using formal/informal assessments like questioning, quizzes, tests, etc. Additionally, they will measure your actual mastery of Spanish, accommodate the curriculum to your specific learning style, and make sure you are accomplishing the goal of becoming bilingual.
Our proven method to teach Spanish as a second language is based on a holistic approach to language learning. The communicative, task-based, and experiential methods are at the center of the academic process.
Cruz Language Academy teachers develop a bilingual approach (English and Spanish) taking advantage of the learners' strengths in their native language and transferring those skills to their second language. Gradually, students are exposed to more and more Spanish matching their beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels requirements. Upper levels are taught entirely in Spanish.
Spanish literature courses for adolescents and adults include in their syllabus including literary works from world-class, renowned authors like Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quijote), Isabel Allende (Paula), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Cien años de soledad), and Pablo Neruda (Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada). Nobel Prize laureates in literature: Juan Ramon Jimenez (Platero y yo), Camilo José Cela (La Colmena), and Mario Vargas Llosa (Tres tristes tigres). Cervantes Prize laurates: Dulce María Loynaz (Versos), Jorge Luis Borges (El Aleph), Octavio Paz (El fuego de cada día), etc.
If we don’t live up to any of the above promises, we insist that you tell us right away. We will restore the above VALUES immediately and ensure the HIGH QUALITY instruction you deserve at all times.
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Since 2010, we have been helping kids, teens, and adults to succeed in learning Spanish. Children take Spanish to learn a second language and deeply develop their cognitive skills. Adults enjoy learning Spanish for their seek of knowledge, to conduct business in the USA, or to travel to Spain and Latin American countries. The institution's core values stand by the Cruz Language Academyacronym (CLA):
Credibility: highly qualified and experienced teachers
Loyalty: students’ commitment to learning
Achievement: student success is based on their work and the teachers’ holistic approach to language acquisition
Vision Statement: To accompany language enthusiasts of all ages in their journey to become fluent in Spanish.
Mission Statement: To create a student-centered environment where learners excel with the highest academic standards.
Strategy: To progressively immerse students in the Spanish language, culture, and traditions by implementing communicative, real-life experience, and project-based curriculums.
Our Teachers
Yipsy De Armas
Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language (2020)
B. A. in Education (2001)
Mrs. De Armas was born and raised in Cuba and speaks Spanish fluently. As the youngest daughter of Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands, she understands the differences between the Spanish from Spain and Latin America. She grew up in a monolingual environment and only learned English as a foreign language in middle and high school. That challenge fueled her desire of speaking English to her daughter since she was a toddler. When Mrs. De Armas and her family moved to the United States, she wanted to raise a bilingual daughter while maintaining her Spanish heritage, traditions, and culture. This was the first seed to start Kiddos Lingua: After School Program. Mrs. Yipsy really wanted to share her Hispanic heritage with her daughter's classmates after school hours.
She is very passionate about teaching Spanish to small kids through interactive activities, songs, games, storytelling, theatrical performances, and art. Her bachelor's degree in Education plus fifteen years of experience, have given her the tools to encourage kids to speak Spanish since childhood. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language to better help her at Kiddos Lingua. They are growing up as bilingual individuals under Mrs. De Armas' guidance and expertise. Her kiddos have one little body but two big souls: English and Spanish.
Ivanna Castro
B.A. in Psychology and Education Studies (2020)
Mrs. Castro was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, and speaks Spanish fluently. She joined Kiddos Lingua in 2021. Currently, she teaches the lower level Spanish class, with kids from Kindergarten to 3er grade. Her teaching beliefs are based on cultural experiences in Mexico and the USA, interactive activities, songs, games, storytelling, role-play, and especially art projects. She is a bilingual teacher with 7 years of experience.
Her passion for education and learning led her to pursue her studies in Psychology and Education at the University of California, San Diego. Since then she has experience working with diverse ages in the education field including tutoring and mentoring. Her education and career have provided a theoretical and research background in the understanding of childhood development and the art of teaching. Her personal experience immersing in a new culture (American society) influenced her compassionate and enthusiastic teaching methods in Spanish. Mrs. Castro’s classroom learning environment promotes fun, compassion, empathy, teamwork, and creativity. As an educator continually seeking to improve her skills in teaching, she is currently involved in postgraduate studies at Harvard University.
Ena Mairena
B.A. in Education (2009)
Mrs. Ena was born and raised in Nicaragua and speaks Spanish fluently. She joined Kiddos Lingua in 2018. Currently, she teaches the lower level Spanish class, with kids from Kindergarten to 3er grade. Her passion for teaching Spanish to small kids rises through interactive activities, songs, games, storytelling, and especially art projects. She is a bilingual teacher, with a bachelor's degree in Education and more than 10 years of experience. She has taught courses for children as well as for adults at the university level. Mrs. Ena is a fingerprinted and certified Spanish teacher.
Luis Miguel Cruz
Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish (2017)
B.A. in Spanish Literature and Linguistics (2000)
Mr. Cruz was born and raised in Cuba and speaks Spanish fluently. He is the grandson of an immigrant from Asturias, Spain. Spanish has been his true passion since childhood participating in innumerable contests at the local and national levels. At the age of fourteen, he won the Golden Medal at the National Spanish Contest for secondary school students. A few years later, Mr. Cruz had the opportunity to attend college and studied Spanish Language and Literature. He graduated with honors and a summa cum laude degree as a Spanish teacher in 2000. He is been working in the educational field for more than sixteen years, mostly as a college professor.
In the United States, Mr. Cruz has pursued graduate studies at Humboldt State University and the University of California San Diego earning his teaching credentials in Spanish. He holds a Master's degree in Teaching Spanish Language and Culture from the Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain. Because he wanted to raise a bilingual daughter, he created Kiddos Lingua: After School Program during the 2015-16 school year. Working together with Mrs. De Armas and their daughter Lauren is one of the most rewarding experiences in Luis' personal and professional life.
How It Works
I) Give us a phone call at 760-980-2217 to check availability and suggest the best package for your time, budget, and learning needs.
II) Click Registration and Prepay your language service.
III) You will receive a confirmation email and a phone call to schedule the first session of your language program.
Learning Spanish with us is always fun and engaging!
