After-School Program in Ahwatukee: Trilingual Enrichment for Ages 3-12 at Amici Montessori

Amici Trilingual Montessori in Ahwatukee runs a year-round after-school enrichment program for children ages 3 through 12, combining Mandarin and Spanish immersion with coding, homework support, and Montessori-guided activities — available daily from school dismissal until 6:00 PM.

If you’ve been searching for after-school program ideas, you’ve probably found plenty of lists. Here’s something different: a real program, built by educators with 15+ years of experience, running five days a week in your neighborhood. This is what we do, how we do it, and why families across Ahwatukee, Chandler, and South Tempe trust us with their children’s afternoons.

What Does Amici’s After-School Program Include?

This isn’t a babysitting service with a fancy name. Our after-school program is a structured extension of the Montessori school day, designed by AMI-certified Montessori educators and native-speaking language teachers. Every afternoon follows a purposeful rhythm:

3:00–3:30 PM: Transition & Snack. Children arrive from their school day (or from nearby elementary schools via parent drop-off). Healthy snack, decompression, social time. This matters — research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows children need a 15-20 minute transition period between structured environments to maintain focus.

3:30–4:30 PM: Language Immersion Block. This is the core. Children rotate between Mandarin and Spanish immersion activities — not worksheets, but Montessori-style hands-on work. Younger children (3-5) explore language through sensory materials, songs, and storytelling. Older children (6-12) work on character writing, conversation practice, and culturally grounded projects like Chinese calligraphy or Latin American geography.

4:30–5:15 PM: Enrichment Rotation. Each day features a different enrichment focus:

• Monday: Coding fundamentals (Scratch Jr for ages 3-5, Scratch/Python basics for 6-12)
• Tuesday: Art & Creative Expression (multimedia projects, often bilingual-themed)
• Wednesday: STEM Exploration (science experiments, math games, building challenges)
• Thursday: Cultural Studies (Chinese New Year prep, Día de los Muertos projects, world geography)
• Friday: Free Choice & Outdoor Play (child-directed, Montessori principle of following the child)

5:15–6:00 PM: Homework Help & Free Work. Elementary-age children get dedicated homework support from teachers who understand their school curriculum. Preschoolers continue with Montessori practical life activities or outdoor play. Parents pick up at their convenience before 6:00 PM.

Why Did Amici Build a Trilingual After-School Program?

Most after-school programs in Ahwatukee offer supervision. Some offer homework help. Almost none offer continued language immersion — which means children who spend 6 hours in an English-only school environment lose the language momentum they’ve built.

Amici’s founder, Sean Diana, saw this gap firsthand. As a former elementary teacher, school principal, and Head of Faculty in the UAE, he understood that language acquisition doesn’t stop at 3:00 PM. The afternoon hours — when children are relaxed and social — are actually prime language learning time because the pressure of formal instruction is gone.

The result is a program built on three principles:

1. Continuity: Language immersion doesn’t stop at dismissal. Afternoon teachers speak Mandarin and Spanish with children throughout activities, snack, and play.
2. Enrichment over entertainment: Every activity has a developmental purpose. Coding builds logical thinking. Art builds fine motor skills and self-expression. Cultural studies build global awareness.
3. Mixed-age learning: Following Montessori philosophy, our after-school program intentionally groups ages 3-6 and 6-12 together. Older children mentor younger ones — strengthening their own skills while building leadership and empathy.

Which Families Use Amici’s After-School Program?

Our after-school families typically fall into three groups:

Working parents who need extended hours but refuse to compromise on quality. They want their children learning, not watching screens. Many work at nearby employers — Banner Health, Intel Chandler, Wells Fargo Ahwatukee — and need reliable pickup before 6:00 PM.

Families who want language enrichment their home school doesn’t offer. Children attend English-only elementary schools (Kyrene, Tempe Elementary, Chandler Unified) during the day, then come to Amici for Mandarin and Spanish immersion in the afternoon. Some parents are preparing children for dual-language middle school programs. Others want to maintain heritage language skills.

Current Amici students who want extended learning. Children already enrolled in our preschool or K-2 program transition seamlessly into the after-school program. Same teachers, same environment, same language immersion — just more time to explore, practice, and grow.

What Makes This Program Different from Other Ahwatukee Options?

Ahwatukee has after-school options. Here’s what makes Amici’s program fundamentally different:

• Trilingual immersion: No other after-school program in Ahwatukee (or the broader Phoenix metro) offers simultaneous Mandarin, Spanish, and English immersion. This is the only one.
• Montessori-trained staff: Our afternoon teachers hold AMI or AMS Montessori credentials and are native speakers of Mandarin or Spanish. They’re educators, not supervisors.
• Ages 3-12 in one location: Siblings of different ages attend the same program. One drop-off, one pickup, two (or three) children enriched.
• Coding from age 3: We introduce computational thinking through unplugged activities for preschoolers and screen-based coding (Scratch, Python fundamentals) for elementary students.
• Founded by an educator, not a franchise: Sean Diana has 25+ years in education — classroom teacher, principal, Head of Faculty internationally, university professor. This program was designed by someone who has spent his career understanding how children learn.

Enrollment & Practical Details

Spots are limited by Montessori classroom ratios — we maintain a maximum 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio in the after-school program, which is significantly lower than the industry standard of 15:1 or higher. This means enrollment fills, especially for the Monday-Friday option.

For families exploring Arizona’s ESA program, our after-school enrichment qualifies as an eligible educational expense. Many families combine ESA funds with our tuition to make trilingual enrichment accessible — something most parents don’t realize is possible.

“Aprender es un tesoro que seguirá a su dueño a todas partes.” — Learning is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere. (Chinese proverb, translated to Spanish — reflecting our trilingual mission)

Frequently Asked Questions