This is my daughter third year attending this Chinese school and she loves it! So far she is…read morelearning Cantonese, which is hard to find in the Bay Area. They will start to add in Mandarine at a later grade level. All the teachers so far have been great finding kid appropriate method to teach them Chinese, which is really hard for the elementary aged. The school also have so many fun activities to get the kids excited for the school.

Excellent Chinese school in the bay area…read more My son was attending school in Hong Kong in his early age, during the time, his teachers were mostly using Cantonese and English, and of course, his classmates were speaking Cantonese too. When we relocated to the bay area, we found a problem that he started NOT using Cantonese to talk to us and so does talking to his little brother. My wife and I think it's critical to keep his mother language, which is Cantonese, in both verbal communications and writing skills. We start looking for a good Chinese school, which is teaching Chinese using Cantonese and Traditional Chinese characters, for my sons to learn Chinese. And then realized finding such school is extremely difficult! Most Chinese schools are teaching mandarine and simplified Chinese characters; I don't against using it, but as a Hongkonger, we grew up using Cantonese and Traditional Chinese, we can better teach our kids using the same language, and we think Cantonese and Traditional Chinese are harder to learn, kids can always be able to learn the mandarine and simplified Chinese when they grown up, provided that they have a good foundation of Chinese culture and understanding of Chinese. as a result, we go to this school, west valley Chinese school. The class schedule is every Friday night, 2hr each, we can still have Sat to do something else, it's a good fit for us. The most important part is the teaching programme, which can continue his Chinese education without much difficulties on starting, which make everything easier for parents to send their kids to school. My son had been there for two years, we are really enjoying the learning environments, making friends who're speaking the same language with us, and a lot of activities that can enhance the ability of my son (and us) to use Chinese. I am really glad that the teachers there are very professional and teaching with heart; As an example, my son was having a read-a-loud competition, and the teacher were using her spare time to do extra training with him, for two months before the class; We are talking to the teacher almost everytime after class, learnt the difficulties of teaching kids the Chinese in the US, and got a lot of advice from the teacher on how can we do better, and also share the techniques to communicate with kids. Just like normal daytime school. I will send my 2nd kid to the school for sure. I hope my kids can be attending the school till grade-12, making friends there and having fun. So far from the two years school life, I would say it's promising ;).

Teachers really care for the kids. The curriculum is at a higher level than the public curriculum…read more Yet, the low student to teacher ratio means the teachers can see and help each child. Tuition is also less than other private schools. This is also a mandarin immersion school that teaches traditional bo po mo fo which we love. The parents do not need to speak the language at home and there are many families that do not speak Mandarin. Overall, great place for kids to learn and grow.

We are absolutely thrilled with our experience at Mandarin Academy, and we couldn't be happier with…read morethe progress our son has made since starting Kindergarten this year. One of the most remarkable aspects of Mandarin Academy is the speed at which our son has started speaking Chinese at home. We are a non-Chinese family. Within just three weeks of starting, he was already bringing his newfound language skills into our daily conversations. Another key factor that sets Mandarin Academy apart is its small class sizes. In these intimate settings, every student has the opportunity to actively engage and participate in the learning process. This focus on individual attention and participation is invaluable when it comes to mastering a new language, and we've seen firsthand how it has benefited our child's language development. We also got a spot offered by Cupertino Union School District (CUSD), but after experiencing what Mandarin Academy has to offer, we made the decision to withdraw and stay with Mandarin Academy. Main reason was the big class sizes at CUSD (20+ students) which makes it hard to learn a language. The higher standards, personalized approach, and dedication to language education at Mandarin Academy were simply unmatched, and we believe this is the best place for our child to flourish.

First of all the German is bad, second a Chinese teacher in 4th grade was too strict but taught 1st…read moregrade math, because the Chinese teacher taught math in Chinese. Last The food service is really bad.

Never pressed submit so my review is dated but still accurate. - I just have to give a shout out to…read morethe staff at my children's school during such an insane time in the world. I feel incredibly fortunate that we are part of this community during such trying times. Many people have been so negative and I believe that is primarily due to the fact that this is obviously a terrible time for so many people. INTL is doing everything in their power to provide the best education possible during a world wide pandemic. We have to keep this in mind. My children's teachers have been exceptional considering the challenges of the world right now. We are lucky they even get to go to school. They are excited everyday, I feel like they are safe onsite and that the school is doing everything to the best of their ability. Teachers have found unique ways to share what happens at school with parents online. Pandemic aside- my children are only exposed to Chinese at school and come home singing to themselves in the mirror in Chinese. The program is IB which focuses on creativity and questions. They learn through discovery. The school is as international as you can get in the Silicon Valley which was really important to me having grown up internationally myself. Thank you INTL for working so hard to make such an unreal time in our lives as good as humanly possible.

Chinese School is a fun activity for kids. I like how it lasts until high school unlike some other…read moreschool that have to switch when you get to middle school or high school. It is a fun place for kids to have fun and also learn Chinese, they have simplified and traditional chinese. They also have classes for kids that are not chinese but want to learn it.

Having sent both of our kids to Lingli over the past few years, it's hard for me to imagine a…read morebetter place for early childhood Mandarin immersion education. Our younger son went through the daycare program, and our daughter was in the preschool program before moving on. From the start, the teachers stood out: warm, attentive, and genuinely invested in each child. The smaller size of the school creates a close-knit environment where both kids and parents feel known and cared for. There's a real sense of thoughtfulness in how the school is run -- from the little things, like offering fresh cut fruit each morning, to heating up each child's lunch individually. To me, this speaks volumes about the care and intentionality that goes into every part of the day. We felt comfortable almost immediately leaving our kids in Lingli's care. That trust only deepened as we watched them come home with joyful stories and some truly impressive arts and crafts -- many of which still live proudly on our walls. Even now, our daughter looks forward to her brother's pickup time (when she can make it) so she can visit her old teachers and say hi. That says a lot. There were other options for us -- including ones closer to home -- but we chose Lingli for the quality and the energy, and would do so again in a heartbeat. For any parent looking for a Mandarin immersion program in the early years, could not recommend Lingli highly enough.

Would give it 6 stars if I could. We have now sent all 3 of…read moreour children there, and drive from Menlo Park every day - that's how much this school means to us. Susan is an excellent administrator, so caring and runs the school professionally and immaculately. Our son will go every day hug her goodbye at her office, even though she isn't his teacher! They took superb care of my children, from the singing to imaginative play, projects, butterflies, live iguana, performances, also the outside area is perfect and well kept. We have amazing teachers (same teacher, all 3 kids) and are so grateful for them. We are so lucky we had this bilingual education (and that we got in!) to get my kids ready for Kindergarten and beyond.

This is a school for second-language learners of Mandarin Chinese. There is a nice mix of…read moreEuropean-American kids, American-born Chinese, and some kids adopted from China. The school teachers are very nice. They make sure each child gets a turn to practice the new word or phrase in class. They use space at several different schools, so there is some variety of days and times to choose from. They use books that have mostly Traditional Chinese characters but also have simplified in parenthesis.

This is my long over due review for Little Tree in Sunnyvale. I have nothing else but great things…read moreto say about the school! My daughter Anastasia joined the preschool in 2023 when she just turned 3, and graduated TK this past June. The staff at Little Tree has greatly transformed her from a little clean slate into a bright beautiful girl inside and out! When we first joined, Anastasia went through 10 months of potty training at home, and still couldn't do potty properly by herself. Within one month, the preschool teachers successfully trained her so she got rid of diapers forever! Born into a multi cultural family, Anastasia understood three languages, but couldn't speak anyone very well when she first joined. Within a few months, we saw her Chinese and English vocabulary expanded drastically and she was able to communicate in multiple languages and switch channels seamlessly, thanks to Little Tree's immersive bilingual program! Later on, in the TK program, she was able to write and read basic materials in both English and Chinese, and do addition, subtraction within 100 at age 4! The language skill is just a surface and I couldn't describe enough about the friendly and family like atmosphere that immersed my child. The child learned to make friends, treat each other with respect, how to resolve conflicts with maturity, all thanks to Ms Faye and other teachers' efforts! My child slowly transformed from a sensitive, fragile toddler girl into a 5 year old with great sense of maturity and responsibility. She went on to give the commencement speech representing her class at their graduation ceremony! Every month Little Tree has some ceremonies or festivals, being birthday parties, Chinese holidays, American holidays, graduation parties. There are different themes of decors, paintings decorating the hallway every month. The kids and parents both got to learn different culture, history around the world. They also provided art, dance, clay making classes to choose from, so the kids get exposed to and learned to appreciate different forms of art from a young age. Little Tree also practices the best judgment when it comes to the children's safety and wellbeing. They provide healthy lunch and snacks throughout the day, and good hygiene all around the school. They have the vision screening every year which helped to catch my child's vision issue early, so we were able to apply early treatment to prevent the issue developing into adulthood! We have Little Tree to thank for life! With all the preparation and support from Little Tree, my kid was able to pass the entrance exam with ease at Stratford school in Sunnyvale. As we are excited to enter a new chapter in life, we also have Little Tree in mind to thank for. If you are a multi cultural family, or any family who wish to benefit from a bilingual and multi cultural early education program, I highly recommend Little Tree, as the first stepping stone into a well educated and balanced life!

We did not have a good experience. Our kids did not learn English well and learned Mandarin with…read moreaccent. Also, one teacher's communication felt unprofessional, with our child criticized in front of us. She did not build a loving and supportive relationships with kids. Better supervision and overall professionalism are needed. We also disliked being required to bring a lunch box daily with leftovers sending home, also the payment method was limited to manual checks only.

We are a non-Asian, English-speaking family, but, ever since preschool, my child has always had…read morefriends who speak Mandarin. In first grade, there were enough Mandarin-speakers in his class that he started wanting to learn the language. But where does a non-Asian, English-speaking elementary student find an appropriate class? After school Mandarin classes for that age range are usually for kids who speak some degree of Mandarin at home. Well, this year Bay Area Mandarin started a weekly after school program at my son's school, and it was designed with beginners in mind! I sat in on the first class with my child, who is currently in second grade. While some of the other kids in the class did already know a few words, the level was definitely appropriate for a child with no previous Mandarin experience. I wad impressed that the class was fun, even including some movement, and included beginning to learn writing characters from the very first lesson. Enrollment in the class includes access to an app for practicing, and the material from each lesson is added as it is covered. The app is fun to use, too, and helps me see my child's progress. By not even a full semester into the weekly class, he had enough vocabulary to order a meal in Mandarin. I've been impressed that the instructors are organized, kind, and professional. They are also very responsive to communication and always respond to messages on a timely basis.

Our kids (3rd and 5th grade) have been at after school classes for the last 2 years and they love…read moreit. They come home sing Mandarin songs to us and their grandparents and that is fabulous. The teachers are very caring and patient, even though our kids don't have much Mandarin background when they started. We would love to continue with Bay Area Mandarin school, and recommend anyone who wants to have their kids learn Mandarin.