About Cucu's PlayHouse
Cucu's PlayHouse is a Language Immersion School located in San Rafael, California that specializes in teaching Spanish through Music and Movement to children aged 3 months to 5 years old.
​
Along with spoken language, music is one of the most valuable learning tools. Our program enhances children's development while they are having fun and nurtures their innate musicality. Singing, dancing, and playing interactive games stimulate the children's creativity and imagination, it encourages speech development as well as social and physical skills.
​
Our goal is that your children don't feel like they are going to a class, but to a fun place where they will be experiencing music, playing with other children and bonding with their parents or caregivers.
​
​
​
Our Team
Nilda is the Lead Teacher and Founder of Cucu's PlayHouse. Her passion for music began at a young age, growing up in a family of Cuban musicians, where she was immersed in a vibrant mix of Latin rhythms. Music and dance are at the heart of her culture, and she loves sharing this with others. Currently, Nilda teaches our online classes, bringing her unique energy and musical expertise to each session.
​
Her natural ability to connect with young children allows her to capture their attention and provide a nurturing and engaging learning experience. Creative by nature, Nilda is always developing new musical activities and games to keep our program fresh and exciting.
​
We are proud to have Nilda’s leadership and vision guiding Cucu's PlayHouse every day!
Lorena joined Cucu’s PlayHouse in 2022 and has been a wonderful addition to our family ever since!
​
With years of experience in early childhood education, Lorena brings both expertise and a warm, welcoming personality to every class. Children absolutely love her energy and kindness, which makes her an instant favorite.
​
Beyond teaching, Lorena takes care of the day-to-day operations at our school with dedication and care. We’re so lucky to have her on our team, and we know you’ll love her just as much as we do!​
With 28 years of experience in elementary education, Blanca has dedicated her life to inspiring young learners. For 11 of those years, she was the director and owner of her own school in Peru, where she combined her expertise in teaching with her love for creating meaningful educational experiences.
​
Blanca is also an incredibly talented artisan. She handcrafts many of the class materials used at Cucu’s PlayHouse, including the beloved puppets featured in the “Un Amigo Me Enseño” song.
​
Blanca’s warmth, creativity, and dedication make her an integral part of the Cucu’s PlayHouse family.
Yani is one of the founders of Cucu's PlayHouse. She plays a vital role in making sure everything runs smoothly, from school operations to our online presence.
If you’ve attended our classes, you’ve probably interacted with Yani. She’s the friendly face behind the emails, social media updates, and class scheduling, always ensuring you're up to date on the latest news and well taken care of.
​
Yani also manages our website design and updates, ensuring our online experience is as welcoming and seamless as our in-person classes. Feel free to reach out to her anytime via email, chat, or any of our social platforms!
Our Classes
Our program has an emphasis on exposing the children to the Spanish language through music and play. Each Music and movement class is intentionally planned around specific words and phrases.
​
A selection of Children Songs in Spanish guides the class from start to finish. Games and activities are related to the lyrics, in order to familiarize the children with the words and their meanings. Some of the songs encourage the children to dance.
Teaching Values
We strongly believe in the importance of teaching core values to our children from an early age. Our songs, stories and games introduce them to concepts like:
​
Honesty - to always tell the truth
Empathy - to think about others feelings
Kindness- to be friendly, generous and considerate
Determination - to persevere towards a difficult goal in spite of obstacles
Independence - to be able to do things on their own
Confidence - to be sure of themselves and their abilities
Our Name "Cucu's PlayHouse"
​
Our name was inspired by a traditional children's song of Spanish origin named "Cucú, cucú, cantaba la rana". We have seen many children fall in-love with this song over the years for its cheerful melody and easy to learn, repetitive lyrics. Its original version was written in 1657 by Luís de Belmonte. The song tells the story of a frog that sings under the water and meets several picturesque and interesting characters.
​
The second part of the name, PlayHouse, was chosen because we would like the children to see and remember our space as one where they have fun, enjoy beautiful songs and stories and meet other children. Learning through music and play is our most powerful tool.
Our Toys
Both for our classes and Toy Store, we carry a hand picked selection of toy brands, chosen because of their sustainable practices, materials and design quality. We focus on toys that are designed with children development in mind.
​
Materials: the vast majority of the toys we carry are made out of wood, silk, and other natural materials. Organic pigments, water-based dyes, and non-formaldehyde glue are other qualities we look for. ​​
​
