We love Shu Academy! Before moving to the area, I toured three preschools and ultimately chose Shu Academy based on several key factors: a strong bilingual curriculum with native speakers of both languages, a great teacher-to-student ratio, cleanliness and organization, and engaging extra activities--like visits from police officers and garbage collection workers who give fun and educational talks. Over the past seven months, we've seen many upgrades that have made the school even better. The teachers are amazing, and my son transitioned smoothly, falling in love with the school right away. If these qualities are important to you, you won't regret sending your kids here! read more

Shu Academy has been a wonderful place for our child to learn and grow over the past 2+ years! The teachers are caring, passionate, attentive, patient, and dedicated. They have creative art and science activities for the kids. It's a great mix of academic, play-based, and project-based style. The academics our child is learning in Pre-K is likely equivalent to Kindergarten or even Grade 1 level! It's bilingual with Mandarin and English, which is a great approach since the kids can learn and practice Mandarin, while being prepared for Kindergarten in English. It also means they hire both English and Mandarin teachers, which enables them to hire the best teachers they can find. Our child did not know Mandarin before joining, and was able to pick it up in less than a year through this immersive environment. The teachers partner with parents on the development of the children and provide useful updates and insights during parent teacher conferences. The location is conveniently near 101. Our child loves going to school every day and made great friends here. If you're looking for a preschool in the San Mateo area with excellent teachers then we highly recommend Shu Academy! read more

Excellent, thoughtful, caring teachers. My Daughter had an amazing time here making friends learning and being active. I really appreciated all the pictures they would take, the activities they did with the children, and the philosophy of their care. Truly could not recommend them more highly. read more

We really like Shu Academy, our daughter was there for a year and a half and she enjoyed every day of school and loved all the teachers. I think the biggest pro of Shu Academy is that all their teachers treat all the kids with love and patience. Sending love to Teacher Alondra, Cindy, Jojo, Margaret, Mira, Serena & all! read more

My kid has been with Shu Academy for 1.5 years, since he was 19 months old. I'd like him to learn Chinese at that time, so I toured more than 5 Chinese immersion/bilingual daycare centers in peninsula. Shu stood up because of the following traits in my opinions: (1) High teacher-to-student ratio: it's about 1: 6 in the toddler program compared to 1:8 in the majority of other schools. (2) Multiple enrichment activities: I prefer a play-based environment that can expose my kid to various activities, such as reading, crafting, music, dancing, gardening, pretend play and etc. (3) Location: it's better for the daycare center not locate on busy street and the playground access to plenty of sunshine when the weather is good. Overall speaking, my kid has had a happy time at Shu. Teacher Jojo, Cindy, Lu, Serena are very caring and my kid forms deep attachments with them. They communicate with parents in timely fashion regarding the kid's development, concerns if any, or funny stories at school. They post lots of pictures on a daily basis so I always know what my kid did every day. Definitely check it out if you're looking for a daycare/preschool. read more

Just to add to the glowing reviews, my son (just turned 2) has been going to Curious Beans since October and I've seen a huge change in his overall pace of development. At his previous daycare, he wasn't challenged at all, and we were worried he had some sort of cognitive delay. Now he's very lively and has strong communication. I attribute a lot of that success to his new preschool. Katie and the teachers are very warm, attentive, and strike a good balance between providing a safe experience and a convenient/fulfilling experience, given COVID. Every day, they do fun activities like singing, reading, and crafting, and I get lots of info on how he's doing via tons of high quality photos. By looking at the photos, I get a much better sense of how well he interacts with the teachers and other kids. Katie is super communicative and responsive. I'm very very glad we switched. read more

My son went to Shu Academy when he was 3 years old, and we are really happy with the experience. The school director Katie truly loves and cares for each child. The teachers were very loving and very experienced. The school has great curriculum that allows children to learn while having fun. We love that they have one Chinese teacher and one English teacher with each class (both native speakers). We speak Chinese exclusively at home and my son learned to speak English only after a few months at the school. I would highly recommend Shu to anyone who is looking for a Chinese bilingual daycare/preschool. read more

Our daughter goes to this daycare. We are so happy with everything here, the teachers are super nice, responsible and skillful. The curriculums is also wonderful. Our girl loves her teachers so much that she keeps mentioning their names even after 6 months of separation due to COVID-19. Our girl started when she was 20 months old. She never left family and had a hard time adjusting to the new environment. She was actually declined by another daycare when she was younger since she cries nonstop. It was teachers at curious beans who were so patient and loving to her that helped her adapt to daycare life so smoothly. Also, when my girl is having some behavior issues such as attacking other kids, the teachers helped her to grow out of that stage and nowadays she's very friendly and good at sharing. My daughter and us will always be thankful to their teachers for all the precious memories. read more

We've been sending our son to Katie's daycare since the very beginning. It was our son's first preschool/daycare, so we were concerned that he would have separation anxiety issues, but he did not even cry on his first day! Katie welcomed him like her own child, and even got him to nap for the first time outside his crib on a first day! He loves to go to his preschool and has learned so much already. He learned to talk much better and learned to feed himself better since he started her school. Katie sends us daily updates and pictures of kids activities via texts and addresses any concerns right away. She currently only has 4-5 kids at a time with another helper, so the ratio of children to teacher is much better than any other place I visited. (She is only taking max 6 kids, so the ratio is 3:1 when everyone is there) Her house is very clean and plenty of toys and activities for kids to enjoy. She also has plenty of outdoor activities to do in her backyard. I definitely recommend her preschool and wouldn't even worry even if it's their first time going to preschool. read more

Shu Academy Preschool - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - San Mateo, California

Our daughter just graduated from Curious Beans after attending for almost a year. It's a wonderful home daycare/preschool with very expansive indoor and outdoor space, including a converted garage playroom with padded floors for rainy days. Katie, Priscilla, and the other teachers care deeply about all of the kids, and they are always positive, nurturing, and high-energy. My daughter learned new things every day because of their wide range of activities like art projects, cooking, music, "yoga" :), letters, counting. The student to teacher ratio is unbeatable, and the kids all form strong bonds with each other and their teachers because of it. Katie texted us photos and updates every day, and was very responsive whenever we had feedback or special requests. Thanks Katie, for such a wonderful year! We'll miss all of you, and will come by to visit soon. read more

We have LOVED sending our son to Curious Beans! Our 2 year old son has been at Katie's place for a while and we couldn't be happier with the care he has received. As new parents we were initially very nervous leaving him, but it did not take long to feel completely comfortable and know that he was in great hands. This place is spacious, clean, bright, and has a large backyard. Katie and her assistant Melissa are very conscientious care givers with great attention to detail. They are warm and gentle with our son and always give us a full report at the end of the day. Their daily communication on his day is wonderful and Katie is always available via email to answer any additional questions we may have. They are quick to spot if anything is up or unusual and have given us good advice when dealing with many issues at home. My son loves them and sometimes even calls Katie "Mom". I cannot stop giggling with my wife about this. They provides music, painting, reading, dancing and crafting classes, and the children go outside every day if weather permits. We always get pictures from Katie when our son takes naps or plays in the class or in the yard, and he has thrived under their care. He has become so sociable and especially loves being around other children. They also get our son on a very good napping schedule which we try to follow on the days when he's at home. This is very helpful to us. Overall the place is a 10 out of 10. I would gladly recommend this place to anyone I know who is looking for an amazing preschool, and we have decided to send our daughter here as well when she is older. Thanks Katie and Melissa for their daily great effort! read more

We like the school environment very much. Director Katie and teachers are great. My kid was there at 3. The teachers are quite warm , responsible and most importantly, very patient. They posted a lot of pictures and the communication was timely. My kid loves the school very much. Even after being away for a while, he is still missing the teachers and friends there. read more

My child had a wonderful experience at Curious Beans and we felt that it has exceeded our expectations. It has been a very safe, comfortable and nurturing place for my child to learn and grow. He has been loved, cared for and enriched by the curriculum and activities during the time he has spent there and blossomed so much. Katie and her staffs are very genuine, polite, patient, kind and caring. In the beginning, I was afraid that my child will have a rough transition but Katie quickly discovered his personality/likes and connected with him, and before long, he was running in happily when we get there. We always do drop-offs with a peace of mind knowing that our child is in good hands. They also send us updates/pictures of our child daily. Additionally, Katie is very aligned with my views on respectful parenting. She and her staffs are very fun loving yet she is calm and assertive when setting boundaries. I also like that they are very on the ball to clean up and disinfect the place whenever a child is sick so as to contain the germs. Personally, Katie has been a very good resource about child development stuffs and will always share with us about what would work better to help create a positive impact on our child. She is also very responsive and receptive to any concerns we have and will take the time to discuss anything with us. We feel very lucky to have found this gem of a daycare and I plan to send my 2nd child here too! read more

Our two year old is headed into her second month at curious beans and we are extremely happy to have found this school for her! She had virtually no group play experience prior to starting curious beans and she has adjusted beautifully, and while I don't spend too much time in classroom, all I have witnessed during drop off and pick up is caring, fun, engaged teachers and excited, diverse, and always smiling kids - or *friends* as they call them. I am so grateful to teacher Katie, teacher Priscilla, teacher Yesenia and all the teacher assistants. It is truly incredible to see the development in my daughter's speech and social skills in just two months! read more

My daughter had joined this preschool when she was 18months old and left when she was 30months old. She had a splendid time during the school time and she even misses all the teachers. Katie and the teachers would take care of each child and give the entire details to the parents each day. They had lots of activities and learning lessons during the day and my daughter learnt quite a bit. Before choosing curious beans, we had visited around 10 other preschool and found this one to be best. I would highly recommend this preschool to anyone. read more

Curious Beans was a great family run preschool for my daughter. She started when she was 1.5 year old and barely walking on her own. I was very nervous sending her to a school. Katie (owner) and her amazing teachers helped my daughter and myself conquer our fear within a week. My daughter was very happy since then. What I like most is Katie and the teachers provide the children with personalized care. They pay attention on each child's growth and unique challenge. I would recommend Curious Beans to anyone looking for a good family run preschool/day care. read more

We LOVE Katie and her place and could not be happier. I conducted a lengthy and thorough search of daycare providers upon our move to the neighborhood, and Katie's was the best of the best. Katie is warm and sweet with the kids, but also very professional and wonderfully direct. The atmosphere is cheerful, impeccably clean, and there is a huge playground that's covered with soft material. They even do gardening and eat the fruits and tomatoes as snacks! We also love the other two care givers. They are both very sweet and passionate. Every time when my son gets picked up, he just doesn't want to leave! What else can I say? Can't love more of this daycare. read more

I sent my son to Curious Beans when he was about 16 months old. He cried a lot at very beginning, but the teachers there are all very experienced, caring, loving and patient. My son got used to the new environment quite soon with the help of the teachers, and became love to go to Curious Beans. I received a lot pictures daily which allows me to know what activities and curriculum my son had. I feel so lucky to find this preschool and would definitely recommend to my friends. read more

My daughter has been there for more than 5 months, she really loves there! The art projects, such as painting, drawing, and music, make kids enjoy the daytime in Curious Beans. The activities in the playground, and bubble time are also the favorite of my girl. Teacher Katie sends parents pictures and let us know every improvement of our kid, feel like we didn't miss any important moment of my daughter. I can see her improvement after the five months, social and language skills, it's so impressive. Another thing made me feel the love of Teacher Katie and Teacher Mellisa. They hosted a birthday party for girls (all the girls were born in Dec), and the gift for girls were their foot print, I really really love it!! It will be a good memory for my girl forever! I was so touched. The very important things made me choose Curious Beans were: the teacher and kid ratio. This is really important for kids who are the first time for daycare. It decides if your kid can get enough attention or not. Right now we have two full time and a part time teachers for 6 kids. This is a good ratio which you can't imagine better for a family care. And all the teachers they really love the kids, not only take it as a job, I can feel that. It only took three days for my daughter to feel comfortable there. And also Teacher Katie keeps the family care very clean, which I love it so much. Another reason for me to choose Curious Beans, this is a Bilingual daycare, which helps my daughter to learn both Chinese and English. It's really good for families who only speak Chinese at home or those families who wanna their kids to learn Chinese as their second language. My daughter loves Curious Beans Preschool, and I would recommend this preschool to all my friends. We thank Teacher Katie and Mellisa for their patience and their love to my girl. read more