Nurturing the Bilingual Child

with Gabriela Velázquez, BethAnn Slater & Carmen Arenas

Living the Language: Meaningful Ways to Integrate a Second Language into the Lives of Children (Birth–6 years)

Join us for a dynamic, hands-on workshop where you'll experience language learning the way young children do: through movement, play, story, and connection. This isn't a lecture. Over our interactive hours, together, you'll be up and moving, trying activities alongside fellow teachers, assistants, and parents, and leaving with a toolkit you can use the next day.

Together we'll explore how to help children live a second language rather than just memorize it, through real objects, songs, games, movement, conversation, and story. You'll practice hands-on activities in small groups, try out different songs and language games designed for different ages within the Birth to 6-year range. We will also work through how to bring a favorite storybook to life as a language experience, including ideas for books children already know in English.

Through these experiences, we'll dig into what shifts across this age span, from a toddler's first words to a kindergartner's growing conversations, so you leave with age-appropriate strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

You'll leave with activities you've already practiced, not just heard about, ready to bring joyful, natural second-language moments into your classroom or home.

Gabriela Velázquez, BethAnn Slater and Carmen Arenas

Gabriela Velázquez is an AMI Assistant to Infancy (0–3) Trainer with over 20 years of experience in Montessori education in Mexico and the United States. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Development and a Master’s degree in Education from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico, and earned her AMI Diploma in Assistant to Infancy (0–3) in Mexico City under the mentorship of Silvia Singh.

Since 2019, Gabriela has served as a full AMI Trainer, working internationally in the preparation guides and assistants from Birth to Three across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. She has supported adult learners in diverse cultural contexts, contributing to the development of Montessori communities worldwide.

Gabriela serves as a lecturer, consultant, examiner, and Director of Training, with a focus on supporting adults in understanding and applying Montessori principles in everyday practice.

Carmen Arenas is the founder, Head of School, and Primary Guide at Montessori School of South Riding in Aldie, Virginia, an AMI-accredited school she established in 2004. With more than 35 years of experience in Montessori education, she has dedicated her professional life to creating nurturing, authentic Montessori environments rooted in respect for the child, community, and joyful learning.

Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Carmen studied Early Childhood Education at Universidad Educares in Santiago before completing her AMI Primary training at the Washington Montessori Institute. She began her Montessori career as an assistant and later served for over a decade.

For more than two decades, Carmen has led her own school while remaining actively engaged in Montessori education and community service. Known for her warmth, authenticity, and deep respect for children, Carmen brings both extensive professional experience and lived Montessori practice to her work with families, educators, and the wider Montessori community.

BethAnn Slater is the Head of School and has been the Primary Directress at Middleburg Montessori in Virginia, USA, since 2003. BethAnn earned her AMI diploma at the primary level in Cleveland, OH, a B.S. in Family and Child Development from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a M.Ed. in Education from Loyola University, Maryland.

BethAnn has taught in the Montessori Primary classroom and the public sector for many years. She is an AMI Trainer at the 3-6 Level, currently serving as the Director of Training on diploma and certificate courses in Dallas, TX, and South Africa. She has conducted workshops for school leadership, supporting assistants in the classroom, fostering play in children, and monthly parent discussion groups.

BethAnn feels grateful to have had the opportunity to experience Montessori education in her early school years, provide Montessori education for her children, and continue sharing her enthusiasm for Montessori education with adults.