Our Three Years at YYY -- A Full Journey Review…read more This review reflects our complete experience watching our son grow from a shy two-year-old into a confident, bilingual kindergartener, all within the walls of YYY. Choosing the School When we began touring preschools in Alameda, YYY stood out immediately. We loved the structure -- the cleanliness, the balance of learning and play, and the Montessori-based approach. The fact that they conduct live scan background checks on all hires gave us added peace of mind. Our only hesitation was the bilingual curriculum. Neither my husband nor I speak Mandarin -- we're an English-only household -- and at two years old, our son wasn't talking much yet. We worried that introducing a second language might confuse him. Still, something about YYY felt right, and we decided to take the leap. Year One -- Group 1: Finding His Footing When our son started at YYY, he had just turned two. He was still in diapers, not very vocal, and still getting steady on his feet. The first three months were the hardest. Every morning brought tears -- he didn't want to be dropped off, and it was the first time he'd ever been away from home in a care setting. By month three, however, something shifted. The crying stopped, and in its place, we began to see a little boy growing more independent and comfortable each day. The first year, we measured success differently. It wasn't about academics -- it was about care. Were the kids safe? Were they being guided toward potty training? Were they learning to feed themselves, follow simple directions, and transition between routines? On every count, YYY delivered. Our son became especially fond of his teacher, Ms. Emily, and that bond told us everything we needed to know about the warmth in that classroom. Year Two -- Group 2: The Emotional Roller Coaster Around the time our son turned three, Ms. Emily pulled us aside with exciting news: he was ready to be potty-trained. We were thrilled. We reinforced the process at home, and within a short time, he was fully trained. Shortly after, he moved up to Group 2, where Mandarin learning began in earnest with Ms. Du and Ms. Chen. At three-and-a-half, a new challenge emerged. Our son was struggling to manage his emotions -- when he didn't get what he wanted, he had a hard time expressing himself, likely because he was still working on his verbal communication. We found ourselves questioning again: was the bilingual environment too much for him? Were we doing the right thing? But the teachers met him exactly where he was. They worked with him patiently -- teaching him to speak up, take a breath, drink some water, and step away to calm down. We mirrored these strategies at home, and gradually, the tantrums gave way to something better: self-regulation. The turning point came in October. The kids were asked to talk about their Halloween costumes in both Mandarin and English, and when we watched the video of our son confidently describing his costume in both languages, we were genuinely amazed. We checked in with Ms. Du, who reassured us: he understood Mandarin well -- he might not always speak it aloud, but he could follow along and even sing songs. That was enough for us to commit. We stayed, and we're so glad we did. By age four, our son was singing songs in Mandarin, making friends, managing his feelings, and coming home to tell us about his day. Year Three -- Group 3: Exponential Growth The final year at YYY brought it all together. The focus shifted toward English readiness for kindergarten, and the growth we witnessed was nothing short of remarkable. One of our most memorable moments came when the kids performed on stage at a church. Our son -- the same boy who once cried every morning at drop-off -- stood up there without a trace of stage fright, belting out a Mandarin song at the top of his lungs, complete with all the dance moves he'd learned from Ms. Pearlie, Ms. Du, and Ms. Chen. My husband and I looked at each other in disbelief, the proudest we'd ever been. The rest of the year unfolded in the same beautiful way: daily journal writing, reading his first books, learning to count, drawing, coloring, and deepening his bonds with every teacher and assistant in the school. The graduation performance was the crown jewel -- every child had memorized speeches in both English and Mandarin and performed choreographed dances with joy and confidence. Talking with the other parents that day, it was clear we all felt the same thing: these teachers had given our children something extraordinary. Not just academic skills, but a foundation -- emotionally, socially, and linguistically -- that will carry them far. We couldn't be more grateful for everything YYY gave our son, and our family.

Our son has been going to the after school program since TK and he loves the STEAM program (STEM +…read moreART)! He enjoys the van ride from Bay Farm to the big island with the other kids and now that he's in K, he spends about 2-3 hours after school there - playing with new and old friends, learning more coding, math, reading, and science and experimenting with art methods. It definitely fills in the gaps of public school with the stronger focus on academics. We are very happy with his progress. And of course, he loves his STEAM teachers, Ms. Yuan and Ms. Jamila, as well as the coding, art and math teachers (Mr. Francisco, Mr. Patrick, Ms. Emily, etc.). That being said, this school isn't for everyone and parents have to be open to finding the right school for their child (which can change over time). For our family, I appreciate that this school respects the learning environment best for kids who are ready and motivated to learn on their own. This means that the kids are ready to learn and appreciate the lessons prepared (not yelling, standing on tables, napping, or other disruptive behavior), responsible/sensible to sit in a van full of kids and listen to the teacher, get along and be respectful to others, etc. To keep the kids on schedule with the van and different subjects requires tremendous patience, planning and care from the teachers, staff (Mr. Long) and Director Sunny - we appreciate you! If your kids can focus and manage at YY, they can sit through movies, dinners, airplane rides, etc. - self-managed discipline is what I appreciate the most. The staff communicates well in advance and also is very responsive and accommodating (e.g. if I have to pick up early, miss school, have another parent pickup, etc.). They also have parent-teacher conferences twice a year with a newsletter about your child's class with photos. Also, when we first signed up for TK when my child was 4, I was worried about the transportation, but that's one of the best part that our kid looks forward to when he goes to YY with his friends - it's safe and the van is there early for pickups (and the fee is very economical for us working parents!). We also have friends in the Mandarin program whose parents are very impressed with their children's language and writing skills and enjoy their class performances! We also have a friend who moved their child here due to allergies. Our kid also has a mild allergy and Yuying is very good about keeping everyone safe with allergies (making sure there's no nuts in anyone's lunchbox, no sharing, educating kids about allergies and keeping everyone safe, etc.) and also keeping up with the parents for updated EpiPens and meds.

Jasmine is a wonderful tutor and we highly recommend her! In fact, I've already referred her to two…read moreother families. She's smart, responsible, and easy to work with. She's engaging and makes the sessions fun for our daughter. Jasmine is local, but given the current environment she teaches our daughter online. Unlike other online programs where there may be a language barrier between the teacher and student, the ease with which Jasmine switches from English to Chinese and vice versa makes the lessons so much more effective. Moreover, the students feel heard and understood so there isn't a lot of time wasted on misunderstandings. During the lessons, Jasmine always stays focused and gently keeps my daughter on task. She has learned more with Jasmine in the last 6 months than she did in the last couple of years at Chinese school. If you want your child to learn Chinese, I strongly recommend you reach out to Jasmine!

I grew up speaking Cantonese and Toisaan. As it is with most languages, if you don't use it, you…read morelose it. I am well into my adulthood and was yearning to practice and continue using Cantonese again. It's cute to understand but I wanted to be more active with it. It is incredibly useful in my profession. I have basic sentence structure down and some vocabulary. I found it difficult to practice with family because they tend to be impatient, and realistically, judgmental. I found Jasmine and was so glad I did! We had twice weekly Zoom sessions and she was very well worth it. She was patient with me and walked me through a workbook. While most languages can be learned through an app or book, the tonality of Cantonese is VERY important. Are you saying horse or mother, the number four or dead. Tones matter so having a teacher to give you feedback right on the spot is so valuable. I went back to school and still work my full time job so I don't get to have as many lessons as I want. I HIGHLY recommend Jasmine for her patience, knowledge and teaching style. Need to learn Cantonese? Get a hold of her!

My son is in 2nd grade and on the younger side of the grade. We enrolled in LEAP last October and…read moreconsidered both reading and math but started with math first due to the time commitment. I've really enjoyed the structure of the classes - small groups with tutors but each student is working on their level at their pace. They get help if they ask and they can work independently if they understand for the practice/repetition. They also have a fun "rewards" system for the kids to redeem prizes. The room is always quiet despite so many kids and that's showing the kids are focused versus being rowdy. They also do parents night out and summer camps! The parking is easy if you park at the Alameda Landing area and you can shop at Safeway for groceries or at Target for fun funds. The other thing I can do is squeeze in a workout when the kids are at LEAP!

We LOVE Leap! We enrolled our Kindergartener at Leap when she mentioned that she was feeling…read morebehind, and she is now thriving! She looks forward her weekly meetups and they actually make learning fun -- even for a 5-year-old. The owners are so kind and accommodating to our busy schedule, and we're so happy that we found something that our 5-year-old is excited about. They do a great job of incentivizing the kids to complete weekly assignments and their reward system helps to keep the kids engaged. We highly recommend LEAP to students of all ages!

What does it take to get into KUMON Alameda? It's been very discouraging to experience all the ways…read moreJane responds to us when we have attempted to get our child (who is Black) into this center. When we sent an email, Jane confirmed that there was a space available, but when she sees us come in person suddenly there is no longer space available. We have heard multiple reasons as to why our child may not be able to join. We have noticed her face change in a negative way when she sees us walk into the center. Jane, please check your negative bias towards Black people. You are here to provide support to all families.

My initial review magically disappeared from Yelp not sure why so I'm reposting…read more.. Not sure who the negative reviews were referring to but I can vouch that Jane who runs the Alameda Kumon is one of the nicest people I have met. My 6 year old goes to her center for Math and English for the past year and his reading, writing and math skills have vastly improved. I highly commend Jane for her patience, encouragement and support of the kids in her center and her professionalism, courtesy and patience with the parents. It is very obvious Jane loves what she does and she radiates the joy when she sees kids in her center improving and doing well.

Chris and his team are incredible and truly care about each child's success. They're flexible with…read morescheduling and make it very easy to find times that work for our family. Communication has been great, and we regularly receive progress reports, which really helps us see how our children are improving. We have one child who was below grade level in math and has made huge progress this year, largely due to the support and instruction he's getting here. We also have a younger child who is above grade level, and we feel confident he'll have a real leg up going into 3rd grade thanks to Mathnasium. We feel very good about the investment we're making here and would highly recommend Mathnasium (this location specifically) to any family looking for strong math support.

I was searching for a math tutor or a place to help my child who was struggling with math. I…read morebrought my child in for an evaluation and had the opportunity to speak with Christopher about my concerns. He was very helpful in addressing my questions and explained the process clearly. The initial assessment helps them determine my child's strengths and weaknesses. They then place the student in the appropriate level to strengthen their math foundation. They don't move the student forward until they fully understand the current level, which I appreciate. This approach builds a strong foundation for more complex math problems, instead of just placing the student in a level they're not ready for.

Cole Filipek is a great tutor who's flexible with scheduling and doesn't do it simply for money…read more You can tell that he really knows his stuff. I've gone to him for both essay and personal statement revisions as well as tutoring for school subjects. If it weren't for his help, I wouldn't have gone to a top university. Tip: give him a call to see what services he offers and get a more tailored experience.

Cole Filipek was instrumental in helping my daughter with her college essays. Under his guidance,…read moreher voice and personality was fully captured in her writing. Cole is incredibly intelligent -- in an unpretentious way. He is inspirational and encouraging. He was able to connect with my daughter in a way I couldn't (As a parent it can be difficult to be objective!). He is also compassionate, and truly wants to see his students to succeed. I'm beyond impressed and thankful for Cole's guidance through the college application process - a process that otherwise could have been very stressful. I highly recommend Cole Filipek as a college essay coach!

PEL stands for "Pre-Eminent Learning" and is the new Kumon with the Singaporean math trend focus on…read morecommon core math that us millennial parents didn't grow up with. There aren't any Russian math options around Alameda yet so we decided to sign up for the free consult/testing for PEL for our then five year old at the end of TK to see where he was at and he's been enjoying it ever since. We go twice a week for one hour and with the daily homework, our kindergartner is enjoying math drills and writing practice/phonics/reading. It takes a second to make it a habit but now he enjoys it and timing himself on the homework (cue childhood trauma from Kumon where my mom had a stopwatch!). I stopped correcting the homework for my sanity (more trauma - my mom corrected all our Kumon with the borrowed answer books and yelled if we got too many wrong). At this young age, they have Junior PEL which is with a teacher in a small group (versus the older kids who independently work and then raise hands for help). Our son's favorite teacher is Teacher Anna. For the waiting parents, this place has better parking, location and amenities than Mathnasium or Kumon with the Southshore shopping center. You can go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and Safeway, pickup dinner, get a foot massage at W Spa, go for a run/walk by Crown Beach, return Amazon purchases at Kohl's, go to the bank, charge your car, etc. It's a carve-out time for errands that makes PEL seamless into our hectic family life with two young children. You can also just veg on the phone or work while waiting in the lobby (they have a super clean bathroom and it's quiet). The couple that owns this location also has a sister location in San Leandro and they run it efficiently and smoothly bc Alameda is their second location. Director Lawrence and Ms Kiwi are caring and kind and they also conduct regular parent teacher conferences, which is helpful at projecting and quantifying the hours invested into PEL. The icing on the cake is the annual honor roll ceremony in October. They did a great in putting the event together with the kids and parents in mind and our son is so proud of his honor roll trophy and shows everyone that comes over. Highly recommend PEL (especially those in public school in alameda bc K doesn't have homework!)

We have two elementary-school boys and spent over two years trying other learning programs in the…read morearea. While they helped a bit, nothing compared to PEL Learning Center in Alameda. Mr. Lawrence and the entire staff are incredibly attentive to each child's individual needs, helping them not just improve but truly excel. What sets PEL apart, however, is their outstanding communication with parents. They keep us closely informed, work directly with us to assess progress, and make thoughtful adjustments so our boys stay engaged and never lose interest. This partnership lets us provide the right support at home. Most impressively, Mr. Lawrence has gone far above and beyond--he has even attended our son's IEP meeting at school to better understand his specific learning needs and ensure PEL's program perfectly complements, supports, and supplements his classroom experience and special education plan. I've never seen this level of genuine passion and investment in individual students from any other program. If you're looking for a tutoring center that truly cares about your child's academic growth and overall engagement, I can't recommend PEL highly enough!

I am just so impressed with All-Star Academics. My son was with them for a few months during the…read moreschool year and is now spending the summer with them. This place has been a Godsend! It is affordable. For a small fee they will pick my child up when school gets out to bring him to the after school program. And he's always been put into the correct child restraint seats for him! This afterschool program is so well set up, to let the kids play and run around, and then refocus and everyone works on their homework. Ms. Kate is my sons teacher and if you could write a review about an individual it would be glowing! I have never had to sit down and battle through homework with my son because it is all done before I come home. And trust me as a single mom - for them to take care of this so we can just have family time at home is HUGE for us!! My son is so happy at All-Stars, and the routine they have set up there. In addition to the afterschool program he is doing their summer school now, and he is loving it. Granted he only goes from 12-6pm but he is having a lot of fun and still incorporating some learning as well. They frequently go on outings and have a weekly outing to the library, and another to the park, as well as a special once a week outing to places like "Crab Cove" or "Color-me-Mine" or bowling at the bowling Alley, etc. Whether its school time or summer time my son is very happy at All-Star. And I am also very very happy with their flexibility with me. My schedule has been less then predictable and my budget is tight, and they make life as easy as possible for me and are very flexible. Maria Tores who helps to run the place has been such a dream, and I can't appreciate all she does and always with a smile on her face.

When I first placed my eldest child with the summer program, I thought it was a godsend. I…read moreeventually enrolled my child for the Fall program and then placed my second child with this program despite some hiccups, as any reasonable parent would not have the expectation that any center run to perfection. Any issues I had, I'd bring immediately to Maria or Lydia. However, 2.5 years later, this place has proven to be a hell-send! Don't get me wrong, they are great on the academic front, but the place is run poorly as a workplace. After more than several hiccups, I have worked to maintain a positive relationship with Maria and Lydia regarding any issues I have ever had. However, "the board," whom you will never meet, makes decisions concerning your application without allowing you to appeal and they leave poor Maria to do their dirty work. Lydia is more than likely on that board and never once picked up the phone to get clarification from me. When I'd see her, she'd just smile in my face and agree. Now she refuses to respond to my request to appeal the "board" decision. I was turned away this year because I simply asked them to be accountable to me concerning my children and I stated that I do not waive my rights to seek legal recourse for any negligence, not towards All Star, but towards the negligent individual - something I started saying after things started happening. It was stated to me that any time my child got hurt, it was a problem because my children stated that they needed to call and check in with me. To name a few issues: My child was left standing in front of school for an hour alone while waiting to be picked up by an All Star employee and it was the school that contacted me; my child's face and mouth were busted from an accident with another kid and All Star had a problem calling me; my child's hand was injured due to another child stabbing with a pencil and All Star did not want to call me; my child's driver picked her up from school on foot and walked to All Star and yet I found out from my child that she walked from school to the center and the driver still took my money for that day until I said something; my child stepped in dog poo while walking a few blocks from the center with her driver. Her shoe was not cleaned, but she was told to remove her shoes and ran around the entire center in socks for several hours and no one called. The list goes on and now I'm looking like the unreasonable parent. On top of it all, their "accountant" can barely do math, let alone apply payments correctly. Do not ask your driver for a receipt because they don't provide that and you barely get invoice/statements. All I asked was that they be accountable when my children have either gotten hurt, bullied or not picked up. That is a problem for them because they think they have a legal issue on their hands when dealing with my children, which is not the case. It is a problem when you refuse to show yourself as accountable. Enough events have transpired for me to be alert when my children were at All Star. Despite all, my children were very happy here and looked forward to coming back and I did my best to oblige them as a mother and protect them at the same time. I was told that since the summer camp would have more field trips this year, it would be too much of a risk to admit my children into the program. That is a complete lie, considering that All Star always has numerous trips during the summer, so nothing had changed. In addition to their monthly fee, they charge $5-$6/day per day to have your child picked up and transported from their school to All Star during the regular school year. They also recently imposed an additional $10/per minimum day when your child has to be picked up on minimum days. The new fee was effective immediately - nope, no 30 day notice. The "teachers" are young, smart and nice kids that are barely out of high school, but lack the skills to be accountable to parents because the center does not train them! That is not their fault, but the employer's fault, so that explains the 1 star. I'm sure other people have had better experiences, but while I have given them every chance and have been merciful, they have not be merciful towards me in the slightest. I'd spend my money elsewhere if you want accountable care and for your child to call you when something happens.