Puentes Language Programs & Preschool

Specialties

Puentes Language Programs provides a fun, intensive language experience for introductory and intermediate level students. Taught entirely in the target language, we offer various classes that will immerse the learner in interesting and useful languages in the same way that they learned their native language. With age-​appropriate interactive games, cultural activities, songs, crafts, food, conversation, and TPRS Storytelling, the student will progress rapidly in their language ability while having a lot of fun. This is a proven successful method of learning language, unlike the memorizing words and conjugating verbs approach that many of us experienced learning a second language in high school or college. We have created a far-​reaching curriculum that encourages the first time learner while offering the depth that multiple levels of learners need to achieve fluency over time. Puentes offers a Spanish Preschool as well as Adult Spanish Classes, Elementary Spanish Classes, and Toddler Spanish, all taught entirely in Spanish in an age-​appropriate conversational manner. Adult students and children alike find learning to be fun and rewarding! Puentes means «Bridges» in Spanish. Our goal is to bridge the cultural gaps in our community, and we believe that language is a key in that process.

History

Established in 2004.

Scot and Trudy McGavin started Puentes because of the lack of offerings for Spanish for children in the Boise area. We started teaching in after school programs in the elementary schools, eventually offered adult Spanish classes and finally in 2006 opened our first Spanish immersion preschool. We believe that language is a bridge to the cultural gap.

Meet the Business Owner

Trudy M.

Business Owner

Trudy McGavin (director) has her B.S. in Math/​Spanish Secondary Education, certified to teach Math and Spanish in Idaho secondary schools 7 – 12, completes her Masters in Bilingual Education in Spring 2011, has taught foreign language methods classes at the university level; has over 20 years of teaching experience and develops the curriculum for Puentes Language Programs. She has near native fluency in Spanish for almost 30 years.

«My own language acquisition has shown me that The Natural Approach* and communicative approaches to language instruction, like TPR Storytelling, are the most effective way to learn a second language. My three children were raised in a bilingual/​bicultural environment and are fully fluent in both languages. I also learned to speak Spanish by being immersed in the language and culture.»

Trudy also serves as treasurer on the board of Latino Scholarship Fund.