Tabula Rasa Language Academy

I'm right now a parent of the school, I have a 4 year old and an infant that we will start in the program when she turn six months old. I really love both the infant teacher and the pre-k teachers. The facility is very clean, I have never seen a roach or mold, neither in the main building or in the portables. I love the schools snacks and lunch, it is always fresh fruit and very balanced. I do not have any problem with the school using the fruits from the day before, since it is fresh fruit. I'm all organic home and I really appreciate all the natural nutrition the school provides. I really did not care about the Spanish - I did register my 18 month old two years ago because of their food program, but now I do see the progress in Spanish and in general and I think we made a great choice. \r By the way, the director was fired I think sometime at the end of last scholastic year and there is also a new person at the front desk whom I really like (I did not like the old elementary director neither). more

hi, I was one of the tabula rasa's parent and a teacher's friend. this school is the worst school in Atlanta. it's not clean, the teachers are old and the principal is asking parents for more money. the snacks are old, they give the snack from the day before, and the dishes are so durty. there are roches everywhere and the bathrooms smell so bad. the teachers looks very tired. the new director is so intolerable. I decided to take off my child from that school because it doesn't deserve to pay all that so expensive tuition. I advise you to look more closer to this school, because it looks like a good school but it doesn't!!! more

I have sent my children to Tabula Rasa since they were in the Mother's Morning Out program - this is our fourth year at the school! It is a wonderful program! My children are not only learning and growing as preschoolers with basics, but they are both well on their way to becoming bi-lingual. Every teacher has been wonderful. Even without the benefit of Spanish at home, both children seem to speak and understand it from school! more

My daughter has attended Tabula Rasa since she was 18 months old. Neither my wife nor I speak Spanish. Our daughter started to translate on our behalf in Spanish by age three and could read and write in Spanish by age four. She is now in Elementary School at Tabula Rasa. She started learning cursive handwriting in kindergarten and their English language education stays ahead of the public school standards by one year throughout the program. In short, she got double the language and all of the learning. In elementary school, her classroom size was 10 with half of the days in English and half of the days in Spanish. Math is done in both English and Spanish.\r \r Tabula Rasa is in my opinion twice the education at half the price because the elementary school tuition is half the cost of the other top private schools. It is closer to our home in Dunwoody so we are thankful that our daughter does not have a longer commute. Their lunch program is one of the healthiest and most affordable that I have seen in a school. Their after school program is top notch including Tae Kwon Do, piano lessons, Spanish learning, and even French afternoons.\r \r The school receives my highest recommendations for going the extra mile. The pre-school cost is comparable to other pre-schools, but the elementary school is one of the best values in Atlanta. To maximize value in the pre-school program, I highly recommend the all day program because the language exposure is phenomenal. The one gift that you can give your child at a very young age is that of a second language. The care is consistently excellent and all of the lead teachers in every classroom have certified education degrees. more

My 5 year old has been attending Tabula Rasa for three years now. She is in the Kindergarten program and LOVES it! She is fully bilingual in Spanish and English, and I continue to be impressed with the teachers and curriculum. This is the only school I have found within the total immersion/bilingual schools that starts cursive writing in Kindergarten. My child just started two months ago and she is reading already in Spanish and English, knows now more than 50 sidewords. more

My oldest child has been at TR for over 3 years now and my middle child for over a year. They are both completely bilingual (Spanish) with no help from home, and my oldest who is in the first kindergarten class at the school, is well beyond her peers (from other schools) in all of her academics. She reads both English and Spanish and does math in both languages, as well. Every teacher we have had at TR (which totals over 10 throughout the years), has been extremely caring yet firm. My kids have loved every one of them. I appreciate the focus from the school on environmental issues and personal health (the snacks and meals are very well balanced). Any problems I have had over the years have been addressed appropriately and fairly. I trust this school with my children and their education and plan to start my youngest there this summer. more

My children have been at Tabula Rasa for 3years. We had never planned on raising our children bilingually, but have been truly blessed for our children to have this life changing opportunity. The school is a small school so you know the other parents and children. The teachers know the children and truly love them. more

My child has been enrolled at Tabula Rasa for several years. In my opinion, the school has grown and improved each year. Though there are some areas lacking; overall, you receive great-value for what's received. The teachers are extremely nurturing and all native speakers. The kindergarten curriculum is well-advanced yet not frustrating and the kids really enjoy it! The low student-teacher ratio makes for a ripe learning environment. One of the great things about this school is that the option to study more than one language is affordable compared to AIS. Our primary goal is to raise socially conscious, multi-lingual children. No school is perfect and rarely will you find 100% of what you want in one institution. Don?t expect that your child will become fluent in after one year. Give it some time and you will be amazed! Our child doesn?t have the luxury of a native speaker at home yet is happy, reading and writing in English, Spanish and French. Bravo Tabula Rasa? the best is yet to come! Pros: Low Student/Teacher Ratio, Ability to study Spanish & French in Pre-School Cons: School is still young and expanding, not many extracurricular options and no gymnasium. more

My son has been attending the school for several years now, in the French program. French is his third language, as he comes from a bilingual (English and Spanish) household. I find the school's program is solid with a high emphasis on interactivity. Rather than just learning from books, fun activities and song help immersion - a great way to learn for a young child. I like the low student teacher ratio. After two years, my son understands everything I say to him in French and responds appropriately, even understanding humor. His vocabulary is on par with his English. The program is costly compared to others, but I consider it money well spent given the results. Unlike other posts, I do not find the school is constantly doing fundraisers. There was one last year. Pros: Intense language immersion with native speaking teachers Cons: Teacher turnover could be lower more

I am currently in the summer program, and not impressed. The program is very expensive - $200 a week for M-F 9:30 am to 12:30pm. The facility is dirty and they do not have good materials. The principal/director is not very friendly. In addition, they are not a child-directed - I have sat in some of the classes and the teachers make the kids participate in activities even if they don't want to. Everything is worksheets with no real learning. I would recommend getting a private tutor instead. Pros: few language immersion programs, good location Cons: awful facility, expensive more

For early exposure to a second or third (or both) language for your child, I think that the school is a great choice. My daughter looks forward to school everyday, and has picked up quite a bit of Spanish and French. While I think the academic component could be stronger, I think that the nurturing environment and the school activities will prepare my child for kindergarten. Pros: nurturing, supportive staff, early exposure to second language, good preparation for kindergarten, good parental support of the school, diversity Cons: Needs a stronger academic component, expensive more

Very poor management. I know what it takes to have a good language program and educational material. I was very disappointed with Tabula Rasa, as it shows that the management is more interested in personal financial growth than in the kids interest. They have an agressive fund raising program, no educational program, only downloaded stuff from internet. The teachers are paid only for the worked hours. The parents are requested to provide school supplies evey month eventhough they pay a high supply fee in the beginning of the school year. The parents need to have an appointment to get in the school during the day. Double trailers are taking 3/4 of an already small playground. The food is a desaster. more

My children started going to Tabula Rasa to attend its French summer program in June 2007. It was very good. Teachers were excellent. And so I enrolled them in 2007-08 session. But I am not impressed anymore. The new teacher now, once a week, sends me a report what she taught that week. Otherwise I have no clue what my children do in school. The school hours are from 9 - 12.00 noon but actual numbr of hours spent for studies is less than 2.5. Principal is not very good and on two occassions when I spoke to her about my problems, she didn't do anything. School is expensive and also doesn't justify its fee. more

My son started at Tabula Rasa this past fall. We were very impressed with the program's approach at our initial meeting with the school's principle and we continue to be impressed. The teachers are incredibly warm and nurturing with the children and are genuinely excited to see them. The children appear so confident and I think this has a lot to do with the loving environment. The food is bought and prepared daily for the lunches and snacks. We are vegetarians and the school serves very healthy food (pasta, vegetables, beans and rice...). The teachers make learning a second language fun through songs, dance, clapping... My son understands Spanish well however he continues to be challenged and have fun at school. He enjoys the homework and the daily lessons and of course the toys and playtime. The school, in addition to playground time, has a daily formal exercise program for the children. Lastly, any concerns we have had have been fairly addressed by either the teachers or the principle. We, and most importantly my son, have really enjoyed the school. It is really the best choice for a pre-school bilingual learning program. Pros: Fun second language learning program, warm teachers/staff, healthy menu and daily exercise more

Our experience with Tabula Rasa has been extremely positive. My son has been in the French program since he was about 20 months old (the Mothers Morning Out program) and is now three and a half. He can understand French, count to 20 in French and has an incredible vocabulary in French (my husband and I each only studied French in high school). Our one-year old will start the MMO program this summer. Everyone who works at the school is committed to providing a stimulating, nurturing environment for the children. The teachers are all native speakers (either French or Spanish) and at least one teacher in each room has a degree in early childhood education. They are focused not only on each child's foreign language development but also on his or her's academic, social, and creative development. The Parent Committee (formed this year, 2006/07) allows the parents to get involved with fundraising efforts, special events for the school and in-class events. The foreign language offering has attracted families from all over the Atlanta area and all kinds of backgrounds, some who speak the foreign language at home and some who do not . I highly recommend this school. Pros: Great teachers, individualized attention, small community feel, diverse student body more

This school is excellent. A convenient location immediately off of I-285. VERY affordable, so much less than other preschools in the area - and the ONLY preschool to offer foreign languages in a full emersion program. The school genuinely cares about the education of the children and the teachers devote their days ensuring the best atmosphere for your child. So not only will your child soon become bilingual, but their social and physical development will soar as well. This has got to be the best choice for pre-kindergarten education in Atlanta. Pros: Small school but the education level is huge Cons: None whatsoever more

The school started out strongly, but is quickly going downhill. What began as a school with small class sizes and personal attention has rapidly turned into just another daycare/preschool looking to maximize profit; taking advantage of the lack of school choices in the Atlanta Buckhead area. The tuition is nearly double what you would pay for a comparable english-based program, and the teachers are not paid any more than they would be elsewhere, yet the director is constantly bombarding the parents with requests for more money. This year, there has been some sort of ""funds collection"" at least twice a month. The icing on the cake is the ""toy drive"" being held in December. You would think a rich school located in Buckhead would have at least some sense of ""giving back"", but this is a drive for toys for THE SCHOOL!!! Aren't those sorts of things supposed to be covered by tuition? Pros: only choice for language schools Cons: high tuition, poor management, no opportunity for parent involvement more