Schools for kids

The little one should not be an issue at all because the load and pressure won't be as intense.

Your 12 year old, well, you should probably think about a plan B for home instruction. Just be realistic, in 8th grade students here like your home country are writing full page compositions or essays. They also take literature in that grade. I think it's too much for a 12 year old kid to transition too, and not too long ago an Ecuadorean from I think Texas detailed the hard time her oldest kid was having in school, a kid who basically went from straight "A's to failing.

Your 12 year old is one year away from high school. She will be in a critical grade and you're going to turn her life upside down if you don't find an English curriculum school.
I understand completely that you want her to experience school and culture. But in my opinion have a plan B, because doing 8th grade in a Spanish curriculum might not be in your daughter's best interest.

I am basing my above information on the assumption that your kids are not Spanish speakers.

You are correct in your assumption that we are not Spanish speakers. I wonder if she could go to a public school for the socialization and home school for the curriculum.

lno545s wrote:

You are correct in your assumption that we are not Spanish speakers. I wonder if she could go to a public school for the socialization and home school for the curriculum.

Once you receive your residency your children by law will be treated like Ecuadorean minors. So you can enroll them if you wish in public schools. As for the intricacies I don't have that information, and by intricacies I mean something like Spanish as a second language or other programs to help them transition.

Explore all your options for your oldest kid, such as CEDEI, and other educational institutes that expat children enroll in.

My understanding is that CEDEI is cost-friendly and nothing like the costs of international schools in Quito and Guayaquil.

Try the German School in Cuenca: cheap, very good quality, they might provide an extra spanish speaking teacher for your 8th grade daughter to have additional Spanish classes.

However, if you'd consider this school, you'll need to provide a proof, that your child completed all the levels upt to the 8th grade of nature science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) and the math level needs to be up to the 8th school level of the German school (geometry, algebra) .

The English classes she will do with ease.

Hi Nicole, 
I hope this message finds you and your family well, and settled into life in Ecuador.

I am in a similar situation with schooling for my 15 year old as you were in 2016.  She is taking spanish lessons to help with the transition, however it may not be enough for her to go into a spanish school.  I was shocked at the prices of the expat schools. They are really quite expensive, for us at least.

Any advise you can offer would be much appreciated. 

Regards

Shireen Jones

I am not Nicole, but here are my two cents about the schools around Quito and Valleys. There plenty of schools in different price range even among the expat schools. For instance, the school of Pacha Mama in Tumbaco, is established by Swiss and  Austrian educators. They teach kids English from the preschool age. The price is very acceptable. The other school in Tumbaco is Montessori school. It teaches kids English from the Kindergarten age and is not very expensive (around $200/month). In Vallos de los Chillos is a German school Gutenberg, teaches German, Spanish and English from an early age. Near Colegio Gutenberg is Colegio La Salle, which also teaches kids English from an early age. In my humble opinion, there are many schools with a good quality and very reasonable prices.

thank you for your reply, thats comforting to read.  Ill take a look at those schools youve mentioned.  Thank you for taking the time to write.  My husband is in cuenca as Im writing this looking at potential properties. 

Cheers
Shireen