Meet Miriam Epstein | Owner/Founder/Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miriam Epstein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miriam, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
As an educational company we view everything we do with boldness and sense of purpose to bring about change. While our students may not realize it while they are making daily progress within the immersion environment, the long-term impact for their social and intellectual development will be far-reaching.

Our students are introduced to the global landscape while learning the Spanish language. By widening their worldview and modeling for them pride and connection, an unspoken but deeply-felt recognition of the importance of respect for others and the embracing of differences naturally follows. In giving our students the tools they need to face the challenge of language learning, we also teach them to have patience with themselves and others, and in weaving creativity throughout our lessons our students learn how to explore their own creativity and develop a lifelong love for learning.

When learning a second language through the immersion method, students develop a keen observational eye for detail and nuance. This is required to pick up on the important cues the teachers use to convey meaning to them. Having this skill to ‘decode’ nuance in body language, inflection, and tone is beneficial; as our students grow into adults these skills can bring much ease in communication, helping to deepen their personal and professional relationships.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Kallpachay was founded in 2012 and began with a single summer camp location in Hollywood. Over the years we extended our services by providing after school enrichment at multiple school sites across LA county and four summer camp locations. Building a business did take consistency, learning, patience, and yes, no less than 12 hour days during the first 5 years.

I have come to appreciate how clearly defined roles and business structure is vital. Once I developed trust with my team and took the time and attention to learn how to maximize all of our tasks according to our talents I was afforded some much needed time for strategic planning. I have learned how each person I work with appreciates an approach in which communication is simplified by finding the method that works best for them. This is not as simple as it sounds actually and involves being flexible and really listening and caring about one another, respecting our different learning styles.

With little to no resources my team and I have been able to expand from 15 schools to over 30 schools plus private tutoring and home groups. When COVID happened we were in the middle of planning our summer camps and had to switch gears in less than a month and move our thriving in person camp business and all our school classes online. We were able to pivot only by reminding ourselves that we could still realize our vision online. Of course there was no guarantee that we would be able to sustain the company through this transition. Receiving the PPP loan was a big help! As a company owner I had to make so many new decisions that I was not prepared for but luckily was able to see our way through the uncertainty to truly embrace the benefits of recreating our program as a new and improved, online school! There are so many benefits to having all of our teachers meet with their groups in one place online with our coordinator helping to ensure that everything is going smoothly and address issues on the spot! Our quality of instruction is what sets us apart and we use our own curriculum that makes a big difference in progressing students.

Kallpachay prides itself in providing a true immersion experience for our students. They are instantly transported to another world when they join our classes since we incorporate thematic learning with a play based approach. Also, our mascot Loreto brings to life our heart centered approach by encouraging our students during their lessons to keep improving and trying.

Kallpachay will soon launch a series of videos on Patreon. We are starting with our curriculum for children ages 4-8 all about food, colors, shapes and counting. Our team has had a lot of fun reviewing every detail and since everyone involved has a background in education we are confident that these will be truly entertaining and educational. This new endeavor is very exciting because all of our curriculum will be in a format that children can enjoy over and over again and share with their families. Parents have long been curious about our curriculum, to the point of wanting to join our classes too, and now they will have a chance to be front and center alongside their children.

I want people to know that the Kallpachay brand prides itself in being resilient all while providing the best immersion experience for our children and families. We are open to multiple types of partnerships where we are the source of quality Spanish immersion instruction. Most importantly we continue to listen to our clients and do our best to enrich our program with what they are seeking in Spanish language instruction for their children. While we specialize in children all ages can find what they are looking for by reaching out to us!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would start off at Vasquez Rocks—it’s a great place to hike and without traffic it’s only 35 minutes from downtown LA! When you get there it feels as though you’re in an unfamiliar landscape far from the density that is LA. There is so much space to wander about, great photos to be had of the strange rocky terrain while catching the mountains in the distance, all while enjoying plenty of fresh air!

The Hollywood Reservoir hike is a great one if you don’t want to hike the hills. It’s completely flat and yet a great workout—the circuit around the lake is about three miles total. Here you really feel again like you escaped even though it’s in the heart of Hollywood. There are no cars and a wide path with so much green—even in the drought conditions we’re currently experiencing, which makes it a real treat! The highlight is when you get to the bridge that goes across the reservoir where you can look out across the beautiful expanse of the entire lake.

Next on my list is the hike down to Point Dume Beach. I recently discovered the street parking that’s off Zumirez Road, and from there it’s a half mile walk through a residential area to the hills above the beach. There’s a clearly marked path with a view of the ocean and the famous climbing rock that identifies this special spot. The hike down is really nice thanks to the amazing views and the natural landscape of ice plants and other unique coastal flora.

During the pandemic it’s been great to discover the local places that I never before took the time to visit. I learned about a lot of new local hikes—one in Griffith Park known as the Freedom Tree is next on my list of hikes to try, as well as some new hikes in Malibu Creek State Park. I cannot finish off this list without mentioning a truly special place about 2 hrs from the downtown LA and I visited for the first time recently and that is Idyllwild. It is a steep and curvy way up to the small town but once there it is worth it for a the evergreen forested landscape, great views and the hiking!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am thankful for the help and guidance provided by the Bridges to Business Success Program, a USC Civic Engagement Department course. Our cohort of twenty new and experienced entrepreneurs received mentorship, covering all areas of essential business skills, from successful business executives. They helped provide resources, encouragement and support to my small business. I am also thankful for our families who have supported us for so many years and referred their friends, colleagues and relatives. I am especially thankful that they have entrusted us with their language needs as we transitioned all programs online.

Website: https://kallpachay.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kallpachay/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kallpachay-spanish-immersion-program-601b30192/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kpyspanish?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kallpachayspanish

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kallpachay-spanish-immersion-pasadena-3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc5wCGYwL1alDk3UHPcBYmw