KSBY
By Shelby Rhodes

A new preschool opened this week on the Central Coast.

San Luis Obispo County has its first ever dual immersion preschool. Located at Pacheco Elementary, many of the preschoolers will get to see their brothers and sisters on campus.

The groundwork in building the new school, stems from the dream of one bright Cal Poly student.

“We ordered material, set up curriculum, the environment, it was awesome. Hired an awesome staff, and here we are.” said Monica Garcia, teacher at the dual immersion preschool.

Monica Garcia is excited to teach at the all new dual immersion school in San Luis Obispo. It is fully equipped with the bells and whistles necessary to make a preschooler happy.

“We have a sandbox, we have a garden, a built in basketball hoop.” said Garcia.

Garcia knows exactly what it took to make the school a reality. After all, it was her idea.

“This was a dream when I was doing my undergrad at Cal Poly, as you all know, Cal Poly is “Learn by Doing” and we have a senior project.” said Garcia.

Garcia brain stormed the plans for the preschool, wrote the paper, did the research, and sent it off.

“I submitted it to the principal, and life went on, I was teaching somewhere else, and in October I got a call that this was starting up. I applied and we put this together in a matter of months.”

Students in Garcia’s classroom come to school with various levels of Spanish fluency. Instruction is taught one day in English, one day in Spanish. Even the students who are learning the basics of uno, dos, tres, are getting the hang of it.

“I thought to myself I wonder how they’ll do, and they did a wonderful job.” said Garcia.

And from a Cal Poly fraternity, to a local thrift store, the community support has earned an “A+” with Miss Garcia.

“A plethora of books and puzzles and toys they’ve supported us in so many wonderful ways.”

The school has capacity for 24 students, right now there are 22 enrolled. Applications are still being accepted for the two remaining spots. Applications for next fall will be accepted later in the spring. Children who are four years old, English language learners and live within the San Luis Coastal Unified School District are given priority.