16 Bilingual and Language Immersion Preschools In or Near Boston

12/18/17 - By Elyse Andrews

Picking the right preschool for your child can be difficult. There are so many options to choose from that narrowing down the criteria can really help with the selection process. Preschools that that focus on language, whether through immersion or bilingual instruction, have flourished in the Boston area. To help make your choice a little easier, we’ve rounded up 16 of these preschools in or near Boston where your child can learn French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, or Arabic—or even become trilingual.

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Boston or Greater Boston
Bilingual Montessori School of Boston and Sharon
The Bilingual Montessori School of Boston and Sharon offers preschool programs that combine bilingual French instruction with a Montessori classroom. The preschool program is for children ages 3 to 6 and runs in half- and full-day sessions.

German International School Boston 
Small class sizes of 10-14 children with two instructors are the norm at the German International School of Boston preschool, which operates in mixed classrooms of children ages 2.9 to 5 years old. Instruction is solely in German and the program lasts until 4pm each day, though an early dismissal option is available.

Les Papillons Brookline 
This home-based French bilingual preschool program has two options for students: Les Chenilles (caterpillars) for children ages 22 months to 2.5 years and Les Papillons (butterflies) for children ages 2.9 to 4 years. Les Papillons' lasses are taught by two French-speaking professionals and are offered in the mornings, either two or three days a week, depending on the child’s age.

Spanish programs begin in the toddler classroom at Pine Village. Photo courtesy of Pine Village Spanish Immersion

Pine Village Spanish Immersion
All classes at Pine Village Spanish Immersion are taught entirely in Spanish and children can start as early as 1.5 years old in the toddler program. There is also a preschool readiness program, two preschool levels and a pre-kindergarten option. There are 10 Pine Village schools in the Boston area and programs vary at each.

Torit Language Center Montessori
Boston’s Torit Language Center Montessori offers early education to children from infancy through elementary school. The program combines a Montessori philosophy with instruction in Mandarin, Arabic, and Spanish, and operates on a full-time, year-round basis.

Image courtesy of the Education Francaise Greater Boston, which runs Les P’tits Bouts preschool.

West of Boston
ABC Spanish in Motion
Newton's ABC Spanish in Motion now offers a Spanish Immersion Montessori Preschool for children ages 2.9 to 5 years old. The program combines instruction in Spanish with the principles of a Montessori education. The full-day preschool is offered two, three, or five days per week.

French for Kids
French for Kids is a bilingual preschool that offers instruction in French and English to children ages 3 to 5 in Lexington. The half-day program takes place five mornings a week. Children are taught in small classrooms with a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:6.

International School of Boston
At the International School of Boston in Arlington, the preschool and kindergarten programs are called Maternelle and are divided into three groups: Pre-Kindergarten (Petite Section) for children who will be three years old by the end of December; Mid-Kindergarten (Moyenne Section) for children who will be four years old by the end of December; and Kindergarten (Grande Section) for children who will be five years old by the end of December. The full-day Maternelle program provides instruction in both French and English.

Les P’tits Bouts
The nonprofit Education Francaise Greater Boston runs a French immersion preschool called Les P’tits Bouts for children starting at 2.9 years year old. The curriculum is based on French National Education programming and is taught in a full-day program. There are two locations: Watertown and Medford.

Little Wagon Early Education Center
The nonprofit Cambridge Center for Chinese Culture opened a bilingual preschool called Little Wagon Early Education Center, based in Waltham, in 2015. The full-day program is open to children starting at 2.9 years old and can be taken three, four, or five days per week.

Spanish and Montessori principles are combined at this home-based program in Belmont. Photo courtesy of Montessori Escuela 

Montessori Escuela
Montessori Escuela is run out of a home in Belmont and combines the principles of Spanish-language immersion and a Montessori education. Children ages 2 to 5 years old are taught in small classes with no more than a 1:8 teacher-student ratio. Montessori Escuela is a half-day preschool program.

Teddy Bear Club  
Children ages 2 to 5 learn French and English at the bilingual preschool, the Teddy Bear Club (pictured at top), which has two locations, one in West Newton and one in Lincoln. Children are broken up into smaller classrooms based on their ages and programs are offered either in the morning or afternoon for two, three or five days per week, depending on the child’s age.

Yak Academy 
284 Broadway Arlington MA 02474
Arlington's Yak Academy offers two different language-immersion preschool programs, one in Spanish and one in Mandarin, making it unique among the programs on this list. The classes are taught in half-day sessions to children ages 3 to 4 years old. Class sizes are small with a 1:4 or 1:8 teacher-to-child ratio.

French is even used during playground games at the Teddy Bear Club, a French-English bilingual preschool.

South of Boston
Focal Early Childhood Education Center
The preschool program at Focal Early Childhood Education Center is trilingual—students learn English, Spanish and Chinese. Children in the preschool program are ages 2.9 to 5 years old. The Quincy location offers a full-day program for three, four, or five days per week. The Randolph location offers both half- and full-day programs for three, four, or five days per week.

Su Escuela Language Academy
The methodology behind the programs at Su Escuela Language Academy is full immersion in Spanish. The preschool program is for children ages 2.9 to 4 years old and is taught in small classes with 10 students and one teacher. Programs are offered on a morning, half-day, and full-day basis in Hingham.

Whitney Montessori
Quincy's Whitney Montessori school combines bilingual language instruction, in this case in Mandarin, with the principles of a Montessori education. The full-day preschool program is open to children ages 3 to 6 years old and can be attended two, three, or five days per week.


Top image courtesy of the Teddy Bear Club.

Places featured in this article:


Bilingual Montessori School of Boston

Bilingual Montessori School of Sharon

German International School Boston

Les Papillons Brookline

Pine Village Spanish Immersion Brighton

Pine Village Spanish Immersion JP / Centre

Pine Village Spanish Immersion JP / Revere

Pine Village Spanish Immersion Kendall Square

Pine Village Spanish Immersion Newton

Pine Village Spanish Immersion Needham

Pine Village Spanish Immersion Porter Square

Pine Village Spanish Immersion South End

Little Wagon Early Education Center

Les P’tits Bouts Watertown

Les P’tits Bouts Medford

International School of Boston

Focal Early Childhood Education Center Quincy

Focal Early Childhood Education Center Randolph

Torit Language Center Montessori