This is an interesting historic piece of artwork/ building of course. Didn't go inside but from the…read moreoutside it was just interesting. almost 100 year history. They have meter artwork outside, which at first glance thought someone crashed into them and that they are the donation meters. Only issue is that this building is in a very sketchy area.

My son goes to this preschool and he absolutely loves it!…read moreI've seen many other preschools and daycares and this is one of the best so far- One of the things I love about this place is that preschooler's classes are recently updated so it's very clean, open space, has big windows from both sides, cute mini toilets & low sinks for little people. This is not a school where they 'train' kids to be super smart from early age- They believe children thrive and learn best when their interests are captured.- so kids have fun doing something they love, learn to share, do lots of activities together, celebrate both Japanese and western traditions- Teachers & staff are so nice and helpful. The school has a big gym and outside area to play, Do only japanese kids go there? not at all! more than half of his classmates are either non-Japanese or half Japanese-. So whenever they send out newsletters or have Christmas party or other parties, they conduct in both Japanese and English, super helpful! I love when they have charity parties- kids (and teachers & volunteers) make cute stuff and sell them like your kid's picture in christmas frame or bubble bath bombs etc.. Another cool event is that twice a year, they have Bazaar and their foods are amazing. All handmade and cooked by kitchen stuff and volunteers but they make amazing Japanese foods that I couldn't believe when I went there for the first time- ( and it's open to public too!) I was expecting some sushis, teriyaki chicken, udons.. those typical japanese stuff, and of course they have those, but on top of them they have Matsutake rice ! ( for fall ) Kyoto style wrapped sushi, amazing variety of Mochi-es, handroll sushi, etc. etc.. you just have to go there to believe it!

BrainSTEM Learning offers amazing programs for kids! We've hired them for birthday parties a number…read moreof times, including building rockets, which was a huge hit with the kids. And they've provided after-school STEM programs at our kids' elementary school in North Vancouver for many years. They have highly knowledgeable and engaging instructors, a huge range of program offerings, and highly specialized equipment for extended learning. The owners are amazing and care so much about the kids - such a valued business in our community!

My 8 year old daughter has been taking a class here for over a year and she absolutely loves going…read morethere. We tried a few STEM classes in other places but she chose BrainSTEM as she gets more attention from the instructor and their casual and fun approach to the subjects. I watch the class very often and it is amazing how engaging the instructors are and they are so knowledgeable and patient. I'm very happy with this place and Sarah is such an easy communicator and caring instructor with so much knowledge. I can't recommend BrainSTEM enough!

I think SSV is a very comfortable and friendly school. At first I'm shy but teachers helped me…read morerelax and encouraged me to speak. Before, I've never met such kind and nice teachers but in this school, i met them. So I am happy. I am satisfied with the class lessons because writing, speaking, reading, listening are studied. Giving me a lot of opportunities. The school is clean and there are a lot of computers. Everyday we have various activities we can attend with our friends. My friend graduated a month ago and her English skills improved a lot. Our teacher taught us a lot. Thank you Sol Schools Vancouver!

I so wish I could transport this school closer to my home! Head Master Tseng is great! My son…read moreloves going to school and has blossomed so much. From day one, he jumped right in on the day's activity and had a blast. I love the fact that the main language taught in Cantonese which we speak at home. (but the staff is also fluent in mandarin and english too and will communicate with the kids in all languages if necessary.) The staff been very flexible and accomodating, especially since we were only visiting for a short time. The monthly rates are incredibly reasonable. Though it's a small facility, its pretty well laid out. The daily curriculum provides music, storytime, topic of the week, art and meal time and much more. I had my son there for just the mornings, but in 2 hours they do so much. Yet the information and learnings really stick because my little guy comes home telling me stories and singing all the stuff he's learned that day, and from the day before and the day before that! It's a structured program and somewhat strict, but still incredibly child friendly. All which I wanted. Each of the activities and learnings are done as a group, so if there are any laggers, the teachers would help push them along which encourages the kids and those that seem ahead of the group are ackowledged which really helps their self esteem and gets them out of their shell. There's usually another teacher and/or aid there to help with the students and regardless of the number of students, they always seem so well under control. Parents are required to bring lunch/snack for their children and the staff will help heat, set up and even feed the children and puts away the dishes to lunchbags. They're open 7 days a week and classes start at 10am-12pm and they continue with afternoon sessions as well. There's other classes for art, music and mandarin, which would be interesting to take up in the future for my son. Aside from academic, music and art, I'm so grateful that they reinforced basic concepts that I teach like good manners, respect, patience, proper hygiene too. I'm saddened that I can't take this class, the school and the teachers back home to CA with me. But I'm looking forward to our next visit and so is my son.

Angel Yuan is our teacher at Key Language. To catch up with group classes that had already started…read moreI had two one-on-one lessons, then joined the class. It was obvious from the first one-on-one session that she was a first class teacher. Angel standards are high, it reflects in the level of teaching! With a high competency in English, this transfers into making the Mandarin relevant for day to day use. The material from Key Language is detailed on the structure of the language, good vocabulary, and relevant exercises that push you, and enable you to bring together what is being taught in each module. Angel is an enthusiastic teacher, personable, patient, and thorough. I have come to realize that learning Chinese requires hard work, but it is not hard to learn! This 5 star review is fully earned, and justified.

I am fluent in Cantonese and English and I have been a REALTOR in Alberta for 23 years and recently…read moremoved to Greater Vancouver where I found learning Mandarin is a must. So I search on line and found this course called "Mandarin for REALTOR" by Key Language Training. The material in this course are 100% tailor made for REALTOR. I learned a lot of vocabulary and conversation, the key to success like everything else, we got to practice, practice and practice.

This review pertains more to the annual TJ Festival but also some comments about the temple itself…read more I've been to the Temple multiple times in the past. They're a Taoist temple tucked away in a Burnaby neighborhood. The community consists of largely Taiwanese people. What i always liked about the temple is that they're not overly pushy for people who aren't believers of Taoism. Whenever I go, I'd take a packet (free) of the blessed rice (raw) home. It was my first time at the Festival and i was pleasantly surprised. As mentioned above, the temple population is mostly Taiwanese people. However, a lot of the stands and vendors consisted of local organizations. This tells me that the Temple has done a great job of establishing their community presence. There were quite a lot of vendors, and tailored to different age groups, community and interests. There was definitely something for everyone. There was also a live band stage. I would definitely come back again next year.

Low-key Taoist temple tucked away in Burnaby. Most of the community is Mandarin-speaking, but the…read morevolunteers and staff also speak English and are super kind and welcoming. Calming vibes soon as you walk in with no pressure to pray (they offer incense sticks), donate, or do anything specific, you can just do/participate as much or as little as you want here. They also offer: -Classes -Informational brochures (e.g., community programs, senior assistance) -Annual "TJ Fest" that shuts down the block with food, performances, music, and family-friendly activities. -Free community fridge. -Religious services Free parking lot attached to the temple, and lots of free street parking.

This review is for Oakridge Montessori School. My child went through most of the Junior…read moreKindergarten year. Unlike teacher communication at OMS, this review was written 100% without the use of AI. OMS, if you would like to respond, please consider not using AI. Prospective parent: Unless you are ultra-wealthy and have at least one caregiver who does not need to work, stay away! (You might also like to own a Tesla). You will need all of the above to shuttle your child back and forth to many field trips and special events (not on the school calendar) that last ~2-3 hours in lieu of actual school, plus you will need to pay extra for every single one of them (plus up to $10k more for auctions...as the principal said, "It's Report Card Season!"). Essentially this is an (aspirational) feeder school for elite private schools in the area, and tries to behave like one. Oh, and you should also read/write Mandarin and have the WeChat app in order to participate in the parent group. This school has absolutely nailed their target demographic. I don't think the school needs to change, because it works well for said population. I'm writing this review so that those who don't fall within this particular demographic can go in with eyes wide open. We didn't, clearly - because who can really be that choosey about childcare in Vancouver? - but I think a heads up might have helped. OMS is a self-proclaimed "organic Montessori" school. They do screen time, and they seem a bit light on some other parts of Montessori (my kid reports that they don't really clean their environment, for e.g., though I take their report with a grain of salt). What concerned us early on was the use of reward/points systems to motivate behavior in the classroom through their ClassDojo App (which, btw, suits the school well - always asking for money - and which we hate with a passion). To the school's credit, when I raised this issue with the teacher, the school principal(?)/"Director of Education" called me and addressed it, claiming it was a communication error and that the points were not to be used with this age group, only Grade 1 & up. They did seem to stop using it after this. (Though are points really appropriate for Grade 1 & up in a Montessori school?) Continuing to give credit where it is due: Teachers and staff have taken the time to answer our concerns, and have called us during what I am guessing are their lunch breaks. While the AI responses really rub me the wrong way - because these are the people teaching my child to read and write - I acknowledge that being in charge of 16 4ish-year-olds is really no mean feat. I do believe that the staff and teachers care about the students. Moreover, my child did learn to read and write quite willingly during their time at OMS. IN SUM: Our family is an outlier at OMS - we don't own a car, we aren't trying to send our kids to elite private schools, and having to pay $55 per adult to attend my child's "Spring Tea" concert (which is 1.5 hours long with no regular school) is a bit painful. And so attending this school has been a bit awkward and logistically burdensome for us. You might say there was a mismatch in values, but of course no daycare or school is going to mesh with our family's culture completely. No irreparable damage was done, we did our best to make a few friends among the parents, my child has been mostly happy......but we will not be continuing our "OMS journey".

Expensive! 2.5 hours a day! 3 programs running a day. No wonder the teacher turnover is high. It…read morefeels like a prep school for private schools with charges for every extra detail. Fees are going up $5000 next year, insane.

First time at the Alliance française in Vancouver. The new…read morebuilding was completed this summer and it looks amazing. Very modern and ecofriendly. There's a theatre, art studio, médiathèque/library, classrooms, a café/restaurant (though not opened yet) and an art gallery with exhibitions. I went there for the concert of french/mexican group Petite amie. A fun and and psychedelic concert. Very nice venue with comfy seats. The theatre is small so it made the concert quite intimate and special. Can't wait to be back to watch some movies as well.

1 Star - Extremely Frustrating Experience…read more I have been trying to schedule a French proficiency test since June and have not been able to secure a single spot. Every time registrations open, I enter the queue immediately and wait for at least 30 minutes, only to be informed that all available spots have already been taken. I contacted Alliance Française de Vancouver to report the problem and received guidance on the registration process. I followed their instructions exactly, but nothing changed. The same issue continues to occur every time new registrations are released. The government encourages applicants to take French tests for immigration purposes, but the testing capacity offered appears far below actual demand. Months of unsuccessful attempts suggest a serious lack of availability and planning. This experience has been incredibly frustrating and stressful. A testing center providing such an important service should have a registration system and capacity that better reflect community needs. Unfortunately, based on my experience, I cannot recommend it.