Engaging Hearts, Equipping Minds
About Atlas Immersion Academy, across the street from Gabriel Park!
Family-owned since 2010, Atlas Immersion Academy has grown from one French immersion childcare center, to now five different Language Immersion-based Child Development Centers in the greater Portland metro area. Gabriel Park was our first center, opened in 2011. At this center, we care for children from 3 months to 12 years old and offer French and Spanish language immersion.
In Atlas classrooms, the foundation for the immersion learning is…
Set through the physical environment, including books, visual aids, games and other materials from the target language/cultures.
Delivered through a native or near-native speaking teacher who engages with the children.
Aided by our well-tuned in-house curriculum, which is built upon years of experience and aligned to Oregon’s Early Learning Standards
This framework ensures cohesion, engaging learners and maximizing their potential with the new language, as well as all other areas of early childhood learning.
Our Mission
To raise the next generation of culturally and linguistically competent global citizens, through language immersion early childhood education.
About Our Gabriel Park Location
When you visit us here at Atlas Immersion Academy, Gabriel Park, you’ll see firsthand what makes us different!
A Community Feel and Welcoming Space
With ample parking, our Gabriel Park center is in a residential neighborhood that provides a safe and lively community. Set back from the road, classrooms are free from noise pollution and provide a calming, welcoming space in which to grow and learn.
Nature Walks Right Outside The Door
Your child’s class is right across the street from massive Gabriel Park- loaded with lush trees, a playground, and walking trails. Kids go hunting for bugs or sightseeing for birds, connecting these experiences with hands-on nature lessons.
A Center for Parents and Children
Atlas strives to be a place of learning for parents as well as children. Our center offers learning resources and opportunities to connect with other parents in the area, allowing us to provide support when and how you need it.
School Age Support up to age 12!
Our school-age program supports children up to the age of 12, providing continuity in their immersive language learning alongside healthy, energy-boosting meals, time spent exploring the outdoors, and small group sizes to ensure each child feels fully supported.
Get Our Free Parent Pack
We’d love to send you a FREE Parent Pack, full of helpful information about Atlas Immersion Academy…
Who We Are
After seeing how easily young children are able to learn multiple languages, and knowing the benefits gained by being able to communicate across cultures and linguistic boundaries, Atlas owners Dory and Jarod Hobbs, who both speak French as a non-native language, chose to immerse their own children in French at home.
When Dory’s personal search for a French immersion childcare accepting infants and toddlers turned up fruitless in 2010, she decided to lay the groundwork for opening a language immersion childcare center of her own. At the time she was teaching French at Portland Community College and needed care for her two young sons.
To Dory, who has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for language immersion, it was inconceivable that all French language immersion options in Portland began at age 3! “By age 3, kids are already jabbering away in their first language!” she thought.
Fortunately, through a combination of previous college and graduate school coursework, lots of hard work and determination, and the support of her husband, Jarod, in 2011 Dory’s dream of opening up a language immersion childcare center came true at Atlas Gabriel Park.
Since then, Atlas Immersion Academy has opened four more centers, adding Spanish and Mandarin to our programs.
Atlas believes our innovative approach gives children a bright and positive start in life, encouraging both exploration and discovery as well as emotional intelligence and friendship building. Immersing children in language and creating an anti-bias curriculum that covers the world’s varied and beautiful cultures supports them as they grow into conscientious people who embrace the differences that make us each unique.
Get Your Free Guide
We know how hard it can be choosing the perfect place for your little ones to learn and grow. So we have made it simple for you to find out exactly what to look for when choosing the perfect Child Development Center. Get your copy now…
What to Expect from Atlas Immersion Academy
Our mission is to provide the highest quality care in Portland and raise the next generation of culturally and linguistically competent global citizens, through language immersion early childhood education.
As part of our commitment, we provide all of our children with:
Full Language Immersion
A diverse, all-inclusive environment where all cultures and traditions are honored and respected.
Extra Enrichment Activities
Extra Enrichment Activities to add sparkle through art, STEM, music, cooking, and other fun and engaging “specials”.
Family & community Events
Events that allow children to learn about the whole world. We believe in an “all holidays” approach rather than “no holidays,” so expect many celebrations where you can partake with your child, meet other parents and staff, and have fun.
Outdoor Time, Rain or Shine!
Our belief is that children need to explore the outdoors to engage all of their senses and aid their physical development. Even on gloomier days we go out twice per day. Don’t forget your rain boots, raincoats, and “muddy buddies”!
Healthy Meals
Healthy, organic, minimally processed meals are made freshly on-site, and are provided every day to fuel busy minds and bodies. No extra cost, just peace of mind!
No Extra costs
We’ve got you covered! There’s no extra cost for essentials like diapers and wipes! Classrooms are stocked with everything your child needs to be happy, healthy, cozy, and comfortable all day long!
Enriching activities such as music, yoga, and dancing, all included as part of our regular learning program, teach self-expression and spark joy.
Events that allow children to learn about the whole world. We believe in an “all holidays” approach rather than “no holidays,” so expect many celebrations where you can partake with your child, meet other parents and staff, and have fun.
Tuition covers diapers and wipes, so you have one less thing to worry about or remember on busy mornings.
Healthy, home-cooked meals each day that meet dietary restrictions such as gluten- and dairy-free.
Outdoor play that teaches little ones how to respect and interact with nature in a meaningful way.
A diverse, all-inclusive environment where all cultures and traditions are honored and respected.
We would be thrilled to have you join our Atlas family in Gabriel Park. Contact us with any questions at
971-238-9838 or click the button below to schedule a tour!
