Daily bilingual and multilingual immersion woven seamlessly into the Montessori curriculum — starting as early as age 2. No separate class, no extra fee. Just language absorbed the way nature intended: through daily living.
Director's Perspective
"Neuroscience is unambiguous: the sensitive period for language acquisition closes around age 6," says Ruhi Khan, Director of Montessori Academy. "Children who are immersed in a second or third language during this window absorb it with near-native accent and intuition. Starting language lessons in elementary school produces academic knowledge of a language. Starting before age 3 produces a speaker. At Montessori Academy, we have deliberately built multilingual immersion into our daily rhythm since our founding in 1986."
5
Languages taught across our campuses
2
Age language program begins (Toddler)
40+
Years of bilingual Montessori education
0
Extra fee for the language program
The combination of the Montessori method and daily language exposure is not a coincidence — it is a synergy that research has been documenting for decades. Both approaches target the same cognitive mechanisms: executive function, working memory, and sustained attention.
Studies from Cornell University, Georgetown University, and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics consistently show that bilingual children outperform monolingual peers in tasks requiring attention control, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving. These are precisely the capabilities that the Montessori three-hour work cycle and prepared environment are designed to develop. Together, they form a uniquely powerful combination.
Sources: Cornell Language Acquisition Lab, Georgetown Bilingual Language & Cognition Lab, Max Planck Institute
Managing two language systems simultaneously builds the same "mental muscles" that Montessori's self-directed work cycle targets — focus, impulse control, and task-switching.
Bilingual children reach cognitive milestones — including theory of mind, symbolic reasoning, and phonemic awareness — measurably earlier than monolingual peers.
Maria Montessori identified "sensitive periods" as windows of extraordinary receptivity. The language sensitive period (birth–age 6) is the most powerful window in human development.
Speaking a family's heritage language — Tagalog, Mandarin, Spanish — builds a direct bridge between generations, creating identity, emotional security, and cross-cultural empathy.
Culver City and West Adams: 30 minutes of Mandarin and Spanish daily through songs, classification, and basic conversation. Downey: Spanish, French, Tagalog, and Arabic. All campuses, included in tuition.
Mandarin is integrated into circle time, songs, practical life routines, and peer interactions from the first day of school. Native-speaking teachers model authentic tonal pronunciation — a skill that is nearly impossible to acquire after age 6.
Spanish is the native language of millions of Angelenos. Our daily Spanish program prepares children for a bilingual city — and provides Spanish-speaking families with a school that actively reinforces their heritage language.
The Downey campus serves diverse communities with daily French, Tagalog, and Arabic alongside Spanish. One of the few preschools in LA County to offer Tagalog and Arabic — preserving heritage and building cross-cultural connection.
Songs at circle time, practical life instructions given in Spanish, Mandarin counting games during math work, Tagalog lullabies at rest — language is never a separate pull-out class. It is the air children breathe at Montessori Academy.
Each campus has a unique language profile designed to serve its surrounding community.
Daily 30-minute Mandarin sessions through songs, classification, and basic conversation. Starting from age 2 in the Toddler program.
Daily Spanish alongside Mandarin. Songs, stories, practical life vocabulary, and peer conversation in Spanish woven throughout the day.
5881 Green Valley Cir, Culver City · (310) 215-3388
Serves: Culver City, Playa Vista, Westchester, Inglewood, Marina del Rey, El Segundo
Daily 30-minute Mandarin sessions matching the Culver City program. Songs, classification, and basic conversation from the first week.
Daily Spanish sessions in a neighborhood where Spanish is woven into the community. Through songs and simple conversation, children build confidence in both languages.
4449 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles · (323) 795-0200
Serves: West Adams, View Park, Leimert Park, Crenshaw, Mid City, Jefferson Park
The shared language of Greater Los Angeles. Daily Spanish immersion from age 6 weeks through 3rd grade.
One of the most globally spoken languages. French introduces children to a Romance language structure that makes Spanish (and other Romance languages) even more intuitive.
One of the few preschools in LA County to offer Tagalog, serving Downey's sizeable Filipino community and preserving heritage language connections.
Daily Arabic exposure reflecting the diverse communities served by the Downey campus.
7515 Firestone Blvd, Downey · (562) 291-2324 · MAOF accepted
Serves: Downey, South Gate, Bellflower, Norwalk, Paramount, Compton, Whittier
"My daughter started at Culver City at age 2.5 speaking zero Mandarin. By the end of her first year she was singing songs, counting, and holding simple conversations entirely in Mandarin. The daily immersion makes an enormous difference."
Culver City campus · Reviewed October 14, 2025
"Our son goes to the West Adams campus and his Spanish has exploded. As a Spanish-speaking family we love that the school reinforces what he hears at home. The teachers seamlessly weave Spanish into Montessori lessons — it never feels like a separate class."
West Adams campus · Reviewed December 3, 2025
"The Downey campus offers Tagalog which is so rare and special for our Filipino community. My son understands his grandparents now. The combination of French and Tagalog alongside Spanish gives kids an incredible foundation."
Downey campus · Reviewed January 19, 2026
Parents often ask how our program compares to weekend language schools, apps, or public dual-language programs. Here is an honest side-by-side.
| Feature | Montessori Academy | Public Dual-Language K | Weekend Language School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start age | Age 2 (sensitive period) | Age 5–6 (post-window) | Any age, typically 4+ |
| Daily exposure | All day, every day | 50% of school day | 1–2 hours/week only |
| Immersion method | Woven into environment | Subject-based rotation | Classroom instruction |
| Native-speaking teachers | Yes | Varies by school | Varies |
| Waitlist | No waitlist | Often 1–3 year waitlist | Generally open |
| Extra fee | Included in tuition | Free (public) | $80–$200/month |
| MAOF / CalWORKs accepted | Yes (Downey) | CSPP / Head Start eligible | No |
No waitlist. Many families have their child in the classroom within days of their first call.
1
Call, email, or use our online form. In-person, Zoom, or drop-in family day available.
2
Culver City or West Adams: Mandarin + Spanish (30 min/day). Downey: Spanish, French, Tagalog, and Arabic. All campuses, no waitlist.
3
$100 registration + $300 deposit. Health records and enrollment forms completed on your tour day.
4
Full-time or part-time. No waiting, no long application delays.
The sensitive period for language acquisition is open right now. Tour a campus this week and let your child start absorbing their second language in the best possible environment.