GIRAFAS Play & Learn is the first and only full-time Portuguese Immersion School for children ages 0 to 12 in Brooklyn, NY.

GIRAFAS Play & Learn, a Portuguese Immersion School, for children ages 0 to 12, was founded by NYS and Montessori certified early childhood educator Mônica Rocha. Over a decade of work with children and parents revealed that there was a special opportunity to enhance the learning potential of the Brooklyn youth through a language-driven approach. In 2010, GIRAFAS launched Portuguese immersion playgroups, which allowed children and parents to connect and develop stronger relationships through safe, fun, engaging activities, in a supportive and nurturing environment. The program has expanded since 2011 and in 2014 GIRAFAS became the first and only full-time Portuguese Immersion Preschool in the NYC area. 

Our mission is to develop independent culturally conscious world citizens, by teaching children the importance of expressing themselves in Portuguese as a new tongue or preserving it as their heritage language, while inspiring them to appreciate the cultural diversities that distinguish and unite us.