Co-Founders Story
From Our Family to Yours
As sisters and co founders, Irene Silva and Maria Silva brought different gifts to one shared vision.
Maria brought decades of Spanish immersion teaching experience and a deep understanding of how children learn.
Irene brought the vision, business leadership, and lifelong passion for human development that helped turn a small dream into a thriving school community.
Together, they created La Casita Day School, now becoming Meyal International, with one guiding belief: children flourish when they feel loved, safe, known, and inspired to learn.
I couldn't ask for a better teacher for my son. She is nice, patient, organized, and professional. My son has learned a lot of Spanish from her.
Sarah Williams - Parent
Maria uses a variety of resources to respond to student's diverse needs. Maintains excellent rapport with students throughout the lesson, while modeling patience and a positive tone.
Blanca Salgado - Parent
Maria demonstrates an excellent ability to communicate with both her students and parents---and provides lessons that enable her students to connect their learning to prior knowledge and life experiences.
Ken Saltzbert - School Principal
La Casita Day School day was one of the best educational experiences for my daughter. The warm family environment with a small student to teacher ratio resulted in my daughter learning to read, write, and speak. If you are interested in your child learning about Latin culture and how to speak Spanish, I would greatly recommend La Casita Day School.
Jana Rojas - Parent 2013 Program
Our Story
La Casita Day School Is Becoming Meyal International
Founded in 2013, La Casita Day School was created from a deeply personal vision shared by sisters Irene Silva and Maria Silva: to create a loving Spanish immersion preschool where children feel safe, inspired, connected, and excited to learn.
The idea first began in 2008, when Irene searched for a Spanish immersion preschool for her own child and discovered that Sonoma County lacked a program that combined language immersion with a structured, engaging, and nurturing educational experience.
Inspired by their Mexican heritage, decades of educational experience, and a belief that love is the foundation of learning, Irene and Maria opened La Casita Day School inside a small casita with just eight students.
Families quickly connected with the school’s warm community, joyful learning environment, strong academics, and meaningful approach to Spanish immersion education. Through word of mouth and community trust, La Casita Day School grew into one of Sonoma County’s most recognized Spanish immersion preschool programs.
Today, La Casita Day School is evolving into Meyal International, reflecting a broader vision for globally minded early childhood education rooted in love, belonging, creativity, cultural connection, and joyful exploration.
While our name is evolving, our heart remains the same.
At Meyal International, we continue to provide a loving Spanish immersion preschool experience for toddlers, two's, preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten children through STREAM exploration, play based learning, creativity, emotional development, and internationally inspired educational practices.
Our mission is to nurture curiosity, compassion, confidence, and a lifelong joy in learning, preparing children to thrive in school, life, and a changing world.
We invite you to experience the next chapter of our journey.
