Savoir Faire Language Institute

We started our son here in the French language preschool 3 days a week part-​time. After the first week, we upped it to 3 days a week full-​time because he didn’t want to leave at noon! He loves his teacher Ms. Sara! I love the set up. No only does my son get an immersion experience in French, but because there other languages being taught (Spanish, Chinese) in the nearby classrooms, he’s exposed to these other languages too. Joelle, the director, is very kind and easy to talk to, and the office staff is friendly. Honestly, this school was the only French immersion preschool I could find in the South Bay. I’m so lucky that it also happens to be fantastic!

I think that we are very lucky parents that we found this excellent school for our girls. We came from Russia and our children didnot know English at all, but after 3 mounths they began talk and communicate with children, after year they know English better than me!!! It is not school, it is big family. All teachers –amazingly friendly and kind! I want to tell big «Spasibo» to all. Savoir Faire, I love you! By the way, my girls began speak not only English, but Spanish and even French! Also they know some Chinese song! :) Also they make super cool events during all year!

We are so fortunate to have had the chance to participate in the Savoir Faire Spanish immersion preschool for our daughter. The teachers made a huge impact on our daughter’s learning, both academically and socially. The school has a true sense of community due to the efforts of the teachers and administration. Thank you!

My daughter attends the Chinese preschool here and it’s GREAT! The teachers are all very nice and fun and they use the best and latest educational practices and positive discipline, which I love. They have a nice little outdoor space and nice kid-​friendly restrooms. My daughter likes it here and that’s what is really important.

Love the school, staff, teachers and location. I do wish that there were a few more class days/​times (French Intermediate for kids) but truly appreciate the flexibility with our situation and how they work with the parents. We love Savoir Faire!

We are forever indebted to SFLI!
We first put our two boys into Sfli for the summer of 2013 just to introduce them to spanish. After one summer we didn’t know what to make of it although I speak a little spanish so I could tell they had picked up some vocabulary.
Then sfli launched full time immersion preschool later that fall but we felt we didn’t want our kids to be the first guinea pig class. Well in Jan 2014 we decided we wanted our kids to really learn Spanish and researched all dual immersion schools in the LA area. Well none were close to us but a few would take our kindergartener-​to-​be into their program as an out of district transfer if he was a Spanish speaker.
So we returned to SFLI to make our child a fluent spanish speaker. well Joelle and the teachers really went out of their way to an extent we don’t expect in this day and age. Bottom line is that our son joined Sfli during the last week of Jan 2014 and at the end of Mar 2014 he passed the dual immersion test put out by these schools. These tests are oral interviews and test for fluency. We have no doubt that Sfli taught my son Spanish. We didn’t think this would be possible given the time frame we had but owe it all to Sfli!
Joelle and Maestras Zoila and Patricia made the seemingly impossible happen for our son. Oh and my son loves Sfli, his teachers, and even the other language teachers who all know him even though he is not in their class. Our experience makes Sfli feel like a family rather than an institution.

My 3 year old son has been attending mandarin Chinese preschool with Ms. YunJou since 2 months ago. I was hesitant at first not sure if he enjoyed it. I feel so relieved that he feels at ease almost immediately and LOVES going to the preschool. He can sing several chinese kids song and identify colors in chinese. I believe that if he continues at this pace, he will be fluent in mandarin Chinese pretty soon. Everyone at SFL from the director, Ms Joelle to the admin staff is really helpful and always addresses my concern immediately. Thank you SFL and Ms. YunJou for your dedication to our son’s learning!

We adore this school! Our child went to the baby language classes and now attends preschool. The school is caring and wonderful. Our child’s ability to speak Spanish is amazing and continues to advance constantly. And the preschool lesson plans teach fantastic skills on top of teaching the language. They even conduct science experiments and have singing performances. Our child loves this school. It is all a parent could ask for!!!

My 5 year old daughter has been attending Mandarin Chinese school for 2 years here. Even though we live further away, we continue to drive 30 minutes because we love the teacher and the learning environment. What I like about the class is that the teacher makes learning a very difficult language fun. My daughter came home singing the Frozen song in Mandarin 2 weeks ago.
YunJou is an exceptional Mandarin teacher. My daughter loves going to class, and she hates missing school.
Allyson is always quick to respond to emails and reschedule classes when we miss them. We have never had a class cancelled on us ever.
Joelle– every year keeps in mind that parents have busy schedules and makes sure she send out emails to help organize classes that accommodate our schedules.
She has always been accessible by email, phone or when we go in person.
The difference at this Chinese school that I really like is that the teachers very easily translate between English and Chinese so that your child does not feel lost in the classroom. They have a multi cultural approach, and respect all backgrounds and nationalities.
For holidays, we love the multicultural presentations. For Christmas, each class sang songs in their languages, and then joint songs in English at the end.
Thank you Savoire Faire. My daughter loves it here and I want her to learn in an environment she is comfortable in and she feels at home at Savoire Faire.

We LOVE SFLI! Our son started there when he was almost 3! I was reluctant to start him in school so early, but he was showing signs of being ready and when we took him for a visit/​run through he absolutely loved it!
He has been attending the Spanish preschool twice a week now for almost a year and we are seeing great results! He enjoys going to school and not only is his Spanish improving but he is having a good time.
We really like the new location as it is very spacious, bright and clean. And the play area is very nice too for the kids to get out and play in the fresh air!
M. Zoila is very kind and attentive to each child’s needs and is very proactive when she becomes aware of any issue a parent would care to know. My son loves her like family and respects her and her authority as she demands a professional and empathetic level of respect from the children as I would desire her to. She has always made herself available to me to discuss my sons progress or lack of progress, she has even given me her cell number to contact her anytime.
The child to teacher ratio is minimal compared to any other school we researched and that was very important to me.
I recommend SFLI to all my friends, even if you don’t practice the language at home it is worth it to introduce your child as early as possible to a second language. And this is just the place to do it!
We have NEVER had class unexpectantly cancelled and they always allow for make up if we miss a day.
Finally, the president and founder Ms Joelle Adkins, is very passionate about the school and her vision for the school aligns perfectly for what we desire for our sons education. Because she herself speaks a handful of languages she is ideal educator in this scenario! She is patient and kind with kids and parents alike. No place of business or individual is perfect, however on the single occasion I had a concern regarding communication between school and parent, the concern was addressed immediately and they have gone above and beyond to improve the communication with several checks and balances.
I am extremely satisfied with our experience with SFLI and are grateful to have found it and for the passion of those who work there. I feel very confident leaving my child in their care and look forward to watching him grow with the school.

Never, ever again.
I singed up and paid my money (exorbitant «processing fee» too. That should have told me this school is a scam but I ignored it.)
What is my experience? They constantly call and cancel classes (many times within one hour of when the class is to begin!!!) Hey! What about ‘my’ schedule Savoir Faire? I guess I don’t count huh?
The Instructors are always late. The lady at the front desk has no real idea as to what is going on… for example: ask her a question and she will say, «I am not sure. We will have to wait till Joelle gets back.» Huh?
When the Instructors are present, the classes are great.
If you want to pay high prices, HIGH ‘PROCESSING FEE’, have classes cancelled on a regular basis, this is your place. Thanks for ripping me off SF. Never again.

I’m in an adult Spanish class, and I love the small class size and the fact that we speak only Spanish during class. My teacher, Sonia, is so kind and patient with us, and she encourages us to have conversations even if we make some mistakes. She has us repeat the sentences with the correct words, so that we can learn from our errors and feel comfortable speaking.
Also, everyone at the school is very friendly and accommodating. They allow you to make up missed classes as much as possible and even have some social events throughout the year.
This is a great language school, and I definitely recommend it!

I have studied French, Italian and Spanish at Savoire Faire since 2002 and have found the entire experience to be continually enriching on many levels. Every teacher that I have had the pleasure of studying with has been incredible and has helped me to understand the language I am studying both grammatically and culturally. The classes have been spoken completely in the language (no English), and this has forced me to more quickly grasp the foundation of the language.
The Administrative staff and the owner Joelle Atkins, have been most professional and responsive to all of my needs throughout the years of my study at Savoire Faire.
I look forward to many more years of study and highly recommend this school to anyone wanting to learn or become more proficient in a foreign language.
Lynn R.
Manhattan Beach

First off, I must say that I am also sharing these comments directly with Savoir Faire, and I am disappointed how hard it is to find their email address on-​line. Why would they make it so hard to email them directly.
My two daughters have taken the Spanish classes offered by SFLI at their pre-​school on and off for the past year (less for my younger daughter), but I keep hoping to be impressed and I really have not been. The communication has been nonexistent and not impressive from the program to the parents. My daughters have not enjoyed the classes, nor seemed to learn very much. Also, the Spanish is taught with a more Spain centric pronunciation which is odd (and a bit pretentious) considering that we clearly (in LA) will have much more contact with the accents from Mexico, and Central America.
Additionally, since they are pulled out of their preschool class to attend, there have been two times with my younger daughter where they just forgot to get her, which means I paid for two classes that I did not get.
The straw that broke the camels back came on this last Friday when I got the end of session evaluation. Since I have never heard from the Spanish teacher about my daughters in over 24 weeks of Spanish classes, I was optimistic to hear what they think. There is no way to contact the teach proactively, as we do not have a name for them, an email for them, and since they are with my kids in the middle of the day, I would never see them at drop-​off or pick-​up.
The evaluation form had no comments about either of my daughters and the criteria was a four category check box that ranked them as «excel» or «above expectation» or «up to expectation» which meant a teacher spent nearly 30 seconds giving me feedback, and those categories are idiotic at best. It seems they feel no clear thinking parent could stand to hear that their child was struggling. I wonder what box they would have checked if after 24 weeks and paying several hundred dollars for Spanish classes, what would they have checked if they felt that the child was not progressing as expected. Totally useless much like these classes, and also like this company I have to extrapolate.

I took my first class yesterday and loved it! Small class size, native speaking teacher, simple, well laid out materials, converstional method. Exactly what I was looking for in learning a new language. I’m taking Italian 1 with Ines. ;)

My son is taking Spanish classes and I’m very pleased with the environment as well as the skill of the teacher (I am fluent but need backup since my husband is not). She is teaching «international» Spanish that can be understood in all countries and also teaching (with less emphasis) the terms that are used by many of the immigrants in S. Calif. I was initially opposed to learning terms only used in one or two countries, but she said that he will hear them in this area and might as well know what they mean. Makes perfect sense! The classroom is cheerful and the kids are learning as they play, sing songs and have fun. Also, the classes are quite small so the kids get a lot of attention.