A Star Bridge Mandarin Immersion Preschool and Child Care, San Francisco

We are very happy with our experience at this school. Ms. Wang is extremely thorough with the school curriculum; she shares an academic calendar with parents at the beginning of each month to inform you about the topics kids will be learning, as well as a list of new Mandarin vocabulary, and book titles that she utilizes during the sessions. This has been particularly helpful as we lack background in the language/culture. Though our son has only been at this school for 4 months he doesn't struggle to repeat sentences in mandarin when asked. We are often given videos of such encouragement. He has acquired some level of understanding of the language, as he is able to follow commands when Ms. Wang and the teachers talk to him at drop off/pick up time. We are usually the first parents to drop off and have experienced reasonable wait time. When we have asked for special early pick up time or late drop off we have always been accommodated. Ms. Wang makes herself available to discuss our son's development and offer thoughtful feedback. Communication is great, and we feel like we are not missing out on our son's day while at work. Updates mostly occur during our son's scheduled nap time (2-4pm) - which I personally prefer since I'd rather have the staff using that time for this activity, than while the kids are awake. Other communications occur instantly; I appreciate very much when Ms. Wang provides me with pictures and explanations for my boy's little scratches, both for the ones that occur at pre-school and for pre-existing ones that might have happened at home. The program includes a piano teacher that sings songs to the kids once a week (English and Mandarin) and visits to the local library (2x a week) for story time. If you live in the area and have had a chance to check it out, it is very interactive and stimulating. As a parent you are invited to participate in "parent expert visit" (not mandatory) and teach something fun to the kids, this can be done in Mandarin or English - we have found that parents are very dedicated, thoughtful, and creative. Recently kids were taught to differentiate between candy and pills, and funny colorful liquids that can be harmful. Ms. Wang also implements learning about safety in earthquake simulations and pedestrian/traffic safety on their everyday outdoor explorations. Ms. Wang encourages kids to reach age appropriate milestones. She expects them to help remove their shoes at a certain age and apply their own sunscreen; these little tasks play a big role in fostering independence and building self-esteem. Our boy struggled to hold hands and walk more than a block on his own. We have improved so much in these 4 months and it's thanks to the active feedback, tips and support from Ms. Wang. Most importantly you will like to know my son's feedback about his own experience at this school. He is quite a talker in Spanish and English so we interrogate him constantly. When asked to choose between his previous daycare (attended for 1 year and 2 months) vs. his new preschool (new language introduced and new friends) he always chooses "The preschool." Sometimes he does complain a bit because: "you have to go back from the park" - in his opinion he should always be at the park watching the trains.