¡Bienvenidos!
Iowa City’s Little Spanish School
La Escuelita welcomes elementary-aged children to learn Spanish in an engaging, relaxed environment. Our mission is for young children to learn Spanish during a time in their lives when language learning is a natural experience. Now is a fantastic time to start this journey!
About La Escuelita
La Escuelita opened in 2018. La Escuelita means “little school” in Spanish. La Escuelita is located in downtown Iowa City (105 Iowa Ave.) and welcomes all levels of Spanish language learners.
About Raquel
Raquel MacKay is the founder and teacher of La Escuelita. She has called Iowa City her home for over fifteen years. She feels a strong connection to her community and is excited to share her love of the Spanish language with others. Raquel grew up speaking Spanish and English. Her mother is from Colombia and this cultural connection inspires her teaching. She earned her BA in Spanish, Communication Studies, and K-12 Foreign Language Education from the University of Iowa. When she is not teaching Spanish, she loves to dance, hike, go on bike rides, do projects at home, read, and most of all— go on adventures with her husband and two young sons.
About the Classes
Students are immersed in language through listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Classes follow a familiar structure each week. After every class, the Google slides will be shared with you so that you can see what your child did in class and practice throughout the week if you would like to.
Typical Class Structure:
Welcome Song
Warm-up (movement activity in Spanish)
Question of the Day
Vocabulary Review
Introduction of New Vocabulary
Song
Game or Activity
Book or Writing/Drawing Activity
Goodbye Song
BEGINNERS CLASSES will cover greetings, calendar vocabulary (numbers, days of the week, months), feelings, colors, and how to talk about likes and dislikes.
INTERMEDIATE CLASSES are centered around thematic units. Each session will have a different thematic unit. These classes also include material learned in the beginners course, but at a faster pace.
It is recommended that students take 1-2 sessions of BEGINNERS CLASSES before transitioning to INTERMEDIATE CLASSES. If your child has a background in Spanish already, then they can move straight to INTERMEDIATE CLASSES.
Fall 2026 Classes
Fall 2026 Monday 4:30-5:15 Beginners
Mondays, 4:30-5:15pm (August 31-November 16, no class 9/7, 9/21, 10/19, 11/9)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 5-8
Class limit: 7 students
This is a complete beginners class. Students are encouraged to take a beginners class 1-2 times before enrolling in the intermediate class. Beginners classes cover numbers and days of the week (calendar), greetings, feelings, colors, and likes/dislikes.
$184 for the 8-week session
CLASS IS FULL. Please email laescuelitaiowacity@gmail.com to join the waitlist.
Fall 2026 Tuesday 4:30-5:15 Intermediate
Tuesdays, 4:30-5:15pm (September 1-November 10, no class 11/3)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 5-8
Class limit: 7 students
This is an intermediate class. Students should take 1-2 sessions of beginners or have a background in Spanish before enrolling in intermediate classes. The theme will be OPPOSITES.
$230 for the 10-week session
CLASS IS FULL. Please email laescuelitaiowacity@gmail.com to join the waitlist.
Fall 2026 Wednesday 4:30-5:15 Intermediate
Wednesdays, 4:30-5:15pm (September 2-November 4)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 5-8
Class limit: 7 students
This is an intermediate class. Students should take 1-2 sessions of beginners or have a background in Spanish before enrolling in intermediate classes. The theme will be OPPOSITES.
$230 for the 10-week session
Fall 2026 Wednesday 5:30-6:15 Ages 9-13 Beg/Int
Wednesdays, 5:30-6:15pm (September 2-November 4)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 9-13
Class limit: 7 students
This is a mixed level class. The class will cover numbers/days of the week (calendar), greetings, feelings, colors, and likes/dislikes. The theme will be OPPOSITES.
$230 for the 10-week session
Fall 2026 Thursday 3:30-4:15 Intermediate
AGES 5-13 (Reading and Writing Focus)
Thursdays, 3:30-4:15pm (September 3-November 5)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 5-13
Class limit: 7 students
This is an intermediate class that focuses heavily on reading and writing. This class is a great add-on to another intermediate class for students who are more serious about progressing in their Spanish abilities.
$230 for the 10-week session
Fall 2026 Thursday 4:30-5:15 Beginners
Thursdays, 4:30-5:15pm (September 3-November 5)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 5-8
Class limit: 7 students
This is a complete beginners class. Students are encouraged to take a beginners class 1-2 times before enrolling in the intermediate class. Beginners classes cover numbers and days of the week (calendar), greetings, feelings, colors, and likes/dislikes.
$230 for the 10-week session
CLASS IS FULL. Please email laescuelitaiowacity@gmail.com to join the waitlist.
Fall 2026 Thursday 5:30-6:15 Beginners
Thursdays, 5:30-6:15pm (September 3-November 5)
Classes are held at 105 Iowa Ave, #299, Iowa City
Ages 5-8
Class limit: 7 students
This is a complete beginners class. Students are encouraged to take a beginners class 1-2 times before enrolling in the intermediate class. Beginners classes cover numbers and days of the week (calendar), greetings, feelings, colors, and likes/dislikes.
$230 for the 10-week session
CLASS IS FULL. Please email laescuelitaiowacity@gmail.com to join the waitlist.
I Hear a Búho
Author: Raquel MacKay
Illustrator: Armando Fonseca
Publisher: Scribble, 2024
A dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books selection for 2024
Penguin Random House Australia Best Designed Children's Picture Book at the 73rd Australian Book Design Awards (2025)
I Hear a Búho is a rhyming story with text in English and Spanish, which encompasses language, the parent-child bond, nature, and the benefit of being still, and listening.
A mother and daughter are snuggling together on their porch, listening to the sounds of the night. A girl makes animal calls and her mother responds sweetly. To their surprise a real owl appears and flies across the night sky.
‘A vibrantly artsy wind-down book.’ —Publishers Weekly
‘As with many well-written picture books that appear at first glance to be for the very young, in the hands of an imaginative teacher they can become powerful teaching tools for all ages, and this one has great potential too.’ ―Barbara Braxton, teacher librarian
‘It is both a lovely exploration of the bond between parent and child, and the beauty of stillness and quiet appreciation of our natural world. The illustrations are so very striking that they will instantly engage young readers.’ ―Sue Warren, Just So Stories
'A brilliant bedtime book for introducing young children to a new language - one to treasure!’ ―Dr. Naomi Thompson, Little Library Owl
Contact
Please reach out with any questions about classes or registration. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Email
laescuelitaiowacity@gmail.com