“My daughter has responded so well to their play-based program and speaks Spanish at home constantly.”
About Us
We’ve come a long way since 2004, when Yak Academy first opened its doors as EarlyBirds Learning. Over the past five years, we have been fulfilling the dream of offering the best possible world language programs in a “playground” of learning and fun.
When the business first started, our founders, Rob Kaye and Marie O’Brien, teamed with educators and specialists in early childhood development and foreign language acquisition to develop a program that not only exposed a child to a second language, but also provided a fun, developmentally appropriate environment where a child can learn at his or her own pace.
In 2004, we opened play-based immersion programs in Birmingham, Michigan as EarlyBirds Learning. Over the next few years, we added Schools-In-Flight, a program that brought our classes to local schools, as well as our Redondo Beach, California storefront. In 2008, our world language playground expanded to include 2 more California centers in Mission Viejo and San Diego under our new name, Yak Academy. Preschools, camps, and mobile programs were launched throughout 2009 and we adopted the Yak Academy name nation-wide. In 2010, Yak Academy opened a new location in Colorado Springs.
All of this work was accomplished with a lot of teamwork from a diverse group of professionals. Our people truly are part of our difference. To learn more about the team behind the scenes, click below: