Meet the YouTubers teaching kids to speak Spanish

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Before the onset of YouTube, U.S.parents had very limited options when it came to video programs that helped teach their children Spanish.There was, of course, the ever-popular Nickelodeon show “Dora the Explorer” and before that, the PBS show “Amigos,” that looked to instill the basics of Spanish into kids across America.These programs — while useful, innovative and entertaining — never allowed for full-on Spanish-language immersion for viewers, relying heavily on English as their primary tongue.

Now, kid-friendly videos for language acquisition can be found on all corners of the internet with YouTube playing host to the lion’s share of the market, ranging from partially in Spanish to only in Spanish.The Times spoke to three of the most viewed Spanish-language educators for children on YouTube to see what goes behind creating highly engaging children’s content.

Isa Muñoz, 33, had known from a young age that she wanted to become a teacher.Growing up in the Baja California city of Mexicali, Muñoz’s parents worked as teachers, as did many of her aunts and uncles.

Seeing how fulfilling her family members’ careers were, she dedicated her life to educating young children.After graduating with a bachelor’s degree and master’s in special education, she worked as a preschool teacher and a private tutor before one day receiving a call from veteran program producers Alexandra Cohen and Karen Garzon.

Born and raised in Venezuela, but now raising children in Miami, Cohen and Garzon were disappointed after scouring the internet for video tools to help them make learning Spanish fun and effective for their respective children and finding few helpful resources.To fill this gap in the market, the duo teamed up with their lifelong friend Jessica Rutenberg to create the Spanish-only educational YouTube channel “Aprende Peque.” As the idea came into fruition, the ...