Phinney-Ridge-based Polly-Glots, which provides French, Spanish and Mandarin language classes for children, is celebrating the release of its educational French and Spanish CDs with a big party downtown next week.

Polly-Glots teacher Ines Andrade will perform in French and Spanish from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Starbucks at 1600 E. Olive Way. The first half-hour will be French songs, and the second half-hour will be in Spanish. The event is free, but because space is limited, please RSVP to kim@polly-glots.com.

Each CD – The Polly-Glots Chantent and The Polly-Glots Cantan –  includes 30 kid-friendly songs about food, letters, numbers, animals and the body.

Polly-Glots will give away some T-shirts, CDs, and there’s a raffle for free tuition for Spring quarter. Classes are held at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, Twirl Café on Queen Anne, and North Kirkland Community Center, as well as student-only classes at Stevens and Highland Terrace elementary schools.

Polly-Glots founder and French instructor Tanya Knudsen lives with her family in Phinney Ridge.

Andeo International Homestays is looking for host families in Phinney Ridge and Greenwood who can house a Spanish teen this summer. The 15 students arrive on June 29 to take English classes at the Phinney Neighborhood Center for four weeks.

The teens are sponsored by Andeo International Homestays, a local non-profit devoted to homestays and cross-cultural discovery.

The teens come with travel insurance and spending money, speak English, and are excited to learn more about America, English, and Seattle! They will be in class from 9am-5pm during the week, and spend evenings and weekends with families. Those interested should visit our website at www.andeo.org, or contact our local coordinator, Sarah Lam, at sarah@andeo.info or 206-455-0022. This could be the summer of a lifetime, one that could open doors to life-long friendships!

The Spanish Language Co-op Preschool at the Phinney Neighborhood Center – Phinney Cooperativa Preescolar en Espanol - is getting ready for next year’s registration. The Spanish-speaking preschool is play-based, and offers ongoing resources and support for Spanish-speaking families.

We are a community: PCPE offers a nurturing environment for children to develop self-confidence and learn to share, cooperate and interact with other Spanish-speaking children and caring adults. This is a unique opportunity for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers to participate in the social, emotional and physical growth of their children in the classroom.

We learn while we play and share: our children enjoy a fun, activity-rich environment that includes: circle time for introducing concepts through songs, stories, poetry, and movement; free choice activities for creative expression and exploring through sensory materials; outdoor time; and shared meals.

PCPE welcomes children from ages 1 to 5 who speak Spanish either full or part-time at home with at least one parent who is fluent in Spanish. Priority is given to children whose parent(s) are native speakers. Scholarships are available for families who need assistance.

Registration for new families for the 2011-12 school year begins April 1. For more information, contact PCPE at 206-859-5082 or email pcpe@phinneycenter.org.

A new Spanish immersion preschool is starting at the end of January at the Phinney Neighborhood Center.

The Phinney Cooperativa Preescolar en Español (PCPE) is designed to encourage the social, emotional, and physical growth of young children while developing cross-cultural awareness. This program is also intended to be a resource to support bilingual and Hispanic families in North Seattle.

The PCPE is designed for children, ages one to five, who speak Spanish either full-time or part-time at home with a family member. It will be divided into two classes: 1- and 2-year olds meeting once a week and 3- to 5-year olds meeting twice a week. The governance of the preschool comes from an advisory board made up of representatives from each of the classes.

Our goals are for our children to gain confidence and self-esteem by communicating in a Spanish-speaking environment as well as to develop a linguistic foundation in Spanish. We will encourage the sharing of traditions, values, and cultures of different Spanish-speaking communities through social events, fundraisers, and play-dates.

Classes will begin at the end of January, 2010, and will follow the Seattle Public Schools’ schedule. For more information, contact Rosa Urrutia, Registrar, at rosaurrutia17@yahoo.com or call 206-972-3127.