Belanno was a seed that started about seven years ago once my husband and I started to have kids. We wished there was a foreign language school for young children. As our family grew and we started to expose our kids to Arabic and French it was apparent that absorbing a foreign language was natural even though we were not trying to achieve bilingual children.

One day my 4 year old daughter wanted to play with a little girl who did not speak English. I asked her how are you going to talk to her if she does not know English? Bella said don't worry we will just play.And that was true, that day she taught me that kids do not have a preconceived notion about being different even when it comes to communication.

Almost a year later on a trip to a foreign country I watched my 5 year old daughter get into the back of an old VW with her three aunts who were going to get their hair done and none of them spoke English. I remember thinking how will that work out? When she came back she was chattering about how much fun she had and again the language did not matter.

I have fifteen years of business experience in varied roles such as human resources, recruiting, job placement and non-profit background in school to business partnerships, economic development, maintained a youth apprenticeship program, event planning and management and started a local young professionals group from scratch.  All of these experiences have prepared me for this journey of creating Belanno. I am grateful to my past, which is contributing, immensely to my future.

I hope that you find Belanno a unique way to educate and stimulate your child on their journey on becoming a global citizen and acquiring a foreign language.   

In the News

WFRV  TV News segment on Belanno's foreign language camps

National Public Radio : Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders 

Kara Patterson Post Crescent column: Art and language mix in summer camps aimed at opening doors

INC Innovator Post Crescent article: Aquiring a Foreign Accent