Preschool & Infant Daycare in

Kensington/Berkeley, CA | L’Academy 

L’Academy Language Immersion Infant Daycare,
Toddler, Preschool, and Pre-K Programs in Kensington / Berkeley, CA

kung fu kensington

About L’Academy
Kensington/Berkeley

At L’Academy in Kensington, we help children build confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of language and learning. We provide year-round, full-time childcare and preschool for ages 5 months to 6 years. We offer Spanish and/or Mandarin immersion to foster early bilingual and cognitive development, alongside English readiness. Our curriculum blends Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and play-based learning to support every aspect of your child’s growth. Contact us to learn more or schedule a tour.

 

Program Details

  • Year-round, full-time care with fewer than 20 school closure days per year
  • Spanish and/or Mandarin immersion
  • English language readiness
  • Programs for Infants, Toddler, Preschool, and TK / Pre-K Age
  • A Kung Fu enrichment class that builds coordination, discipline, and focus.
  • Music/Performing Arts Enrichment: Hands-on experiences in music, movement, and imaginative play designed to build children’s confidence, creativity, and self-expression.
  • Healthy meals and snacks provided daily
  • Potty training not required
  • Low Student-Teacher Ratio

Location Details

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday | 7:30am-5:30pm

Contact: 510.529.4443 (text message enabled)

Location: 1550 Oak View Ave, Kensington, CA 94706

Opened Date: August 01 2021

Ages: 5m – 6 years old, Mandarin and/or Spanish Immersion

License Number: 73409614

Meet Our Staff

Rachel Hendrix

Rachel Hendrix

Regional Director

Ms. Rachel was born in San Francisco and raised across Germany, Alaska, Arizona, and North Carolina in a military family. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of the Pacific and discovered her passion for working with young children early in her career. She has over ten years of experience in Early Childhood Education, advancing from substitute teacher to director and now Regional Director at L’Academy.

What Rachel loves most about working at L’Academy is mentoring teachers, guiding school teams, and building strong partnerships with families. She values creating welcoming environments where children feel supported and helping them grow into confident future leaders.

Outside of work, Rachel enjoys visiting farmers’ markets, reading Stephen King novels, and exploring arts and crafts with her family.

Tatiana

Tatiana

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Tatiana was born in El Salvador. Her very first job after arriving in the US was working at a family childcare 12 years ago.  She has been working with children ranging from 6 weeks to 4 years ever since.  Ms. Tatiana completed her child development studies at City College of San Francisco. Ms. Tatiana seizes every opportunities to teach children to help each other and be kind and respectful, through playing and exploring.

Yasmina

Yasmina

Teacher

Yasmina was born and raised in Algeria. She moved to the United States as an adult with her husband. They have a young daughter, Leana, who also attends L’Academy. Yasmina has been working with young children since 2012, mostly while living in Algeria. She has a strong passion for working with all ages, but has really found her niche in working with infant age groups (under 2). She feels grateful to have the opportunity to help support each child’s growth and development while also being able to watch each child become more confident in their own abilities each day. Yasmina is also a polyglot- she is able to speak several different languages- specifically: English, French, Berber, Arabic, and is learning Spanish. She has been working with us at L’Academy since 2023.

In her spare time she enjoys shopping, spending time with her family, traveling and eating at new restaurants.

Grace

Grace

Mandarin Teacher

Ms. Grace is originally from China and moved to the Bay Area in early 2025. She holds a Master’s degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and a Bachelor’s degree from the Communication University of China. With experience as a private tutor, she enjoys inspiring young learners through creativity and curiosity. Grace is excited to share her culture and teach Mandarin in a dual-language environment. In her free time, she enjoys photography, nature, and spending time with her cats and dogs.

Lizeth

Lizeth

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Lizeth is a wife and a Mother to three beautiful daughters. She has a passion for working with young children and truly thrives from scaffolding their learning and watching them grow! She feels so fulfilled being able to actively participate in being a positive influence in the lives of each of the children in her care. Some of her favorite activities to do with young children include: reading books/ storytelling, exploring music and creating art! Lizeth found her passion for professionally working with young children in 2021 and is working on achieving her early childhood education units, while utilizing her own personal experience in working with children that she has attained as a Mother.

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family-one of their favorite places to go as a family is Six Flags! She also enjoys dancing, fishing and going to the gym.

Cynthia

Cynthia

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Cynthia is excited to work on our education team and brings to us a wealth of knowledge around working with young children! She is a fun and flexible early childhood educator, and loves that the kiddos keep her on her feet., keep her active and keep her youthful. She likes knowing that each day provides ample opportunity to make a positive impact on each child’s life. She also loves being able to teach the children Spanish through singing and playing! Ms. Cynthia has been working with young children for over 10 years.

In her free time, Ms.Cynthia enjoys cooking while listening to Christian music and going on walks or hikes with her husband, daughter and her two dogs. She also loves to go shopping!

Emi

Emi

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Emi was born in Celaya, Mexico. She started working with children in 2017 as a nanny for a 1 year old girl. She quickly realized how passionate she was about being able to work with young children, while also being able to support the family unit. After experiencing the joy of working with young children, she continued her nanny role working with other families of children ages 9months-8 years. Ms. Emi has been working with L’Academy in nearly every classroom since 2022.

Ms. Emi truly loves being able to work with children everyday and especially loves doing art or cooking projects with them! She likes to see the children happy and engaged in play- because that is how they learn! She feels proud to be able to work in a language immersion preschool and to help teach children her own native language: Español!

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her four daughters and cats.

Karla

Karla

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Karla was born in El Salvador, and her first language was Spanish. She arrived in the United States in 2014. While living in El Salvador, she dreamed of one day becoming a teacher and being able to teach little children. In 2020, she began taking care of children professionally, working in a home based daycare and then for a school that sent her to support different Montessori, HeadStart and Mandarin immersion preschools as needed. While working at the home based daycare and the other other schools, she was able to learn so much about early childhood from the educators and the children! She is passionate about continuing in this field and continuing to learn from others while honing her skills as a professional early childhood educator.

In her spare time she enjoys spending it with her beautiful 5 year old daughter, drawing and reading books!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth

Spanish Teacher

Ms. Elizabeth, born in San Francisco, is a dedicated early childhood educator and mom to an active son named Nathan. She began working with children right after high school in the San Pablo Recreation Department and later supported children with developmental disabilities. Her passion grows from seeing the joy and kindness in children during play and learning. In her free time, she enjoys soccer and walks with her son, browsing Target, hunting for freebies online, and working on Lego projects.

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Why Parents Love L’Academy

We love being part of the community at L’Academy Kensington. Both kids adore their teachers and are happy to get dropped off each morning. There is a great balance of learning and play, and the kids spend plenty of time outside in the school’s impressive outdoor space. Family events, language immersion, limited closures and healthy meals/snacks are icing on the cake – I highly recommend this school.

Samantha - Kensington/Berkeley, CA

The Mandarin language program has been a standout part of our experience. It’s thoughtfully integrated into the daily curriculum, and it’s been amazing to see how much our daughter has picked up through songs, stories, and conversation. What sets L’Academy apart is the heart the entire team brings to everything they do. Every teacher we’ve encountered has gone above and beyond to create a loving, engaging, and safe environment for the kids. 

Amy - Kensington/Berkeley, CA

Love the team, location, updates via the app, and language immersion. My son has learned so much there, and I’m so grateful that he has a safe, stimulating, and fun place to go everyday! As a bonus, we’ve also established a wonderful community with some of the families there. 

Jenny - Kensington/Berkeley, CA

Over the past 2.5 years, our child has flourished in ways we couldn’t have imagined. He’s built strong, meaningful relationships with all the teachers, made numerous friends, enhanced his social and communication skills, and even improved his Spanish. We are confident that our child is well-prepared for the next steps given the nurturing foundation provided by L’Academy.

Jamie - Kensington/Berkeley, CA