When TJuani Bell Marks was living overseas as a military spouse, she found it difficult to navigate without a full understanding of the language. That's why she wanted her son to learn foreign languages when he was young.
But traveling to the suburbs for an immersion school was difficult. So she decided to start a school herself.
"We wanted more for our son than we had for ourselves," Marks said of her son, Lawrence, now 10. "We didn't want to forgo that investment."
Omni International School opened in 2012, and students ages 2 through sixth grade learn in three languages. All students are taught English and Spanish, then choose either Chinese or Japanese. Lawrence is fluent in two languages already, and is working toward fluency in the third.
"Research shows that 0 to age 10 is the time that you should saturate children in languages," Marks said. "Our students are learning languages at such a younger age than they would normally, and they are becoming fluent."
Within a month of the immersion, she said, the students have a good understanding of the language, although it can take longer to speak it. Achieving fluency depends on the student.
Classes are taught by native speakers, so students learn proper diction, in addition to cultural lessons like food and dance, Marks said. The immersion helps to give students an idea of the outside world and challenges them to learn in more ways than one, she added.
While the language immersion is what sets Omni International School apart from other private schools in Atlanta, it isn't the only focus of the teachers.
The students tend to succeed in other academic areas and score high on standardized tests, Marks said. At OMNI, she added, kids are placed in grades based on abilities, not age.
According to a 2007 University of Maine study: "Strong evidence shows that time spent on foreign language study strongly reinforces the core subject areas of reading, English language literacy, social studies and math. Foreign language learners consistently outperform control groups in core subject areas on standardized tests, often significantly."
Marks said the parents of her students are very interested in academic success. Half of the parents have graduate degrees themselves, with about 30 percent holding doctorates.
"The academic rigor is appealing to parents who see the languages as icing on the cake," she said. "These are parents that want to prepare their kids for the global economy."
For those parents, the school also offers evening courses through its academy branch, allowing parents to learn the languages along with their children. Marks said that while many parents have the desire to learn, not all have the time or discipline, so the parent component is optional.
During the summer, the school hosts a variety of camps and special activities — all in three languages — for both preschool and elementary ages. You can check out what this past summer's camp involved here.
Omni currently leases a 14,000-square-foot space from the Fellowship of Prayer at 3940 Cascade Road in Atlanta.
The school has 55 students, and has added a grade level each year to allow the older students to progress at the school. Marks said she hopes to continue that tradition.
She said she also hopes to add services for younger students, accepting babies as young as 6 weeks, to become near-native to speaking the languages.
Marks said the school name appears in all caps in most places because they are "bold about learning," and it emphasizes their mission to be "all encompassing."
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