Bilingual Nurseries In San Francisco Near Me

Gigi Irwin: , and Halloween and dinosaurs

Judy Liu: , the songs they learn to sing, and quotes from all the kids in the class.My kids' Mandarin has improved by leaps and bounds, and the teachers have fostered their love of learning it. The cutest thing is when the two of them randomly break out into a Chinese song together. My son just passed the SFUSD language assessment with full marks, thanks to the teachers' careful preparation. He went into the assessment completely comfortable and confident. When trying to consider elementary schools for my son, he adamantly wanted to join a dual language program. I think this really speaks to the educational philosophy of Fun with Mandarin and its fostering of love for learning. She has also been very good about notifying us about the procedures for applying to elementary school, and follows up to see if we have questions, and to make sure we know all the necessary requirements.My daughter also loves the school, and on days when she is feeling ill, she practically has a meltdown when told she has to stay home from school. Regarding behaviors such as meltdowns, I have been impressed with how well Bin Bin socializes the kids, and disciplines them in a loving, gentle, and firm way.Regarding covid, they had quickly created clear and safe Covid 19 policies, requiring kids to have temperature checks, wear masks, creating plans for pickup procedures to minimize contact. I have felt that my kids are as safe as they possibly could be.Fun with Mandarin is clearly a labor of love for Bin Bin, who was previously a Presidio Knolls teacher. I am continuously impressed with how talented she is at teaching, her boundless and positive energy, attention to detail and dedication to the kids. We feel very lucky that our kids are able to have such an experience.

Ray Yeung: We were very grateful for the support we received from FWM throughout the pandemic. Through the weekly virtual class, our son continued to maintain a sense of community with the preschool, which helped tremendously when he returned to in person. Our now four and a half year old son, who tends to be on the slow to warm up side, easily transitioned back into FWM after not attending for a year. This really speaks to how comfortable he feels being at FWM. He has grown tremendously in his confidence and language skills. We also notice a marked improvement in his fine motor skills since being back in person.

Rachel Sauer: and I can't say enough wonderful things about them.  We originally chose FWM because they accept younger children and our daughter missed the age cutoff for our older child's school

Hannah Mo: I used to pick up and drop off my niece from FWM and was amazed by the consistent positive energy and vibe, warmth and professionalism there. All of the staff at FWM I encountered are so friendly, professional, and seem to have a natural passion and enthusiasm for the kids and their jobs. My niece always looked forward to going to school and constantly talked about how much she loves her friends and teachers there. I definitely highly recommend this place!

Ian Bronson: Our son began attending Fun with Mandarin in September of 2020 and we have been delighted with our experience since then.Bin Bin Laoshi, Ben Laoshi and all of the other teachers work incredibly hard and with tremendous creativity to include, engage and educate our son. He loves going to school, and is always smiling when he walks back through the door coming home.The school has coached us on potty training and has been very helpful in providing tips and advice on parenting in general. When we have behavior challenges or are stumped ourselves, they have been an open book resource for us to consult. I love that we can work with experts to help us navigate the challenges of having a VERY energetic and demanding little boy.At this point, our son could open an art gallery with all of the wonderful drawings and sculptures he has made with the school. We love the daily report of activity at school, and despite COVID we have enjoyed the contact we have had with other parents. Being from a non-Chinese family, we feel very welcome and included. We love that he is learning Mandarin, and it has not impacted his English speaking at all. He speaks both languages very well at almost 4 years old.The school has helped us as we begin to navigate future schools as well. They have an extensive resource list to find schools, and contacts at each of them.One of the best parts of living in our area is the wonderful early childhood education available here. Fun with Mandarin is like the cherry on top for us. We are very grateful for this special place.

Shannon Bronson: I am writing this review to express my heartfelt appreciation for Fun with Mandarin School. It’s hard to express the gratitude our family feels for the gifted and caring Teachers, engaging and creative curriculum and inclusive community feel of this school.Our son has been attending since September 2020, and sending him here has been a huge blessing in our lives. It’s been a huge stabilizer for us during the chaos of the pandemic.Every day my son proudly shows me his latest art project as he comes joyfully out the door at pick up. The projects are so cool and imaginative, it’s really blown my mind to see what treasure you can make with paper plates, coffee filters, paint and popsicle sticks. They bring so much delight into our home, we have an art gallery going. I am trying to encourage Teacher Ben and BinBin to create a book of the innovative projects they have invented for the kids!What I notice even more is that these projects are tied in to curriculum themes that structure the days and months. The concepts that are introduced in art class continue into the day and provide lots of cohesion for the kids to learn.I’ve watched our son learn about the seasons, food, holidays, and different useful plants in the 6 months he’s been attending. Having taught children myself, I know how much hard work goes into developing a consistently stimulating and fun curriculum as Teachers Ouyang, Lei, BinBin and Ben have!I have also enjoyed the daily pictures and written report of our sons activities that we get every day at pick up. I get to see our son having a blast at school, smiling, laughing and playing with the other children and teachers. It’s nice to have the staff as a touch point for parenting advice and as experienced professionals. They also keep me updated on the San Francisco school system and seem to want to help prepare us for an eventual transition into a great fit.The food at the school looks consistently nutritious and delicious too!Of course we are thrilled that our son is learning Mandarin! We love the multicultural perspective he is getting of the world. He is learning about Chinese holidays and traditions as well as Western holidays. We value the diversity in the kids, and are so grateful that he is being exposed to so many different and enriching experiences each day. It’s been school in the time of COVID, so being able to socialize with parents has been limited unfortunately. That said, parents that I have crossed paths with have been friendly, warm and open to chatting in the small windows of opportunity that we can.TBH, we feel kind of jealous of him sometimes that he gets to go here! I totally would if I could! I often say I wish I could go to school with him! Thank you to all the Teachers, families and kids at Fun with Mandarin!

Jessie S.: and fosters an environment that is truly immersive. We are a split language household at home

Wendy Lin: from the care of grandparents to a preschool environment. The healthy hot lunches that are provided make life much easier for me and have helped encourage healthy eating habits for my son outside of school, which is every mother's dream. I'm also a fan of the routine updates we get on how the kids are doing. We get daily reports on nap times, what he ate, and general behavior, bi-weekly reports on classroom curriculum and the learning that is going on, and monthly photos/videos of the kids in action.We started at FWM 4 years ago with our first child and now our second one is attending FWM as well. What makes us the happiest is the progress we see in our children's all-around development. Whether it's social-emotional development, language development, or academic readiness, we're always amazed and proud of the changes we see in our children. I know the teachers at FWM are instrumental to the growth of our children and are great collaborators in helping with their development.

Carlson Cheng: Our daughters continue to receive compliments on their fluency in Mandarin and how much knowledge they have overall. Our daughter's Mandarin Immersion kindergarten teacher recently asked us where she learned her Mandarin from as she was completely impressed with her. We credited Fun With Mandarin and their staff for our daughter's performance. It is well known that Fun with Mandarin does not miss a step when it comes to preparing your child for his/her success in school. The dedication they have to their students is apparent and noticed by other schools, our pediatrician, and friends!

Natalie Monk: and it's been a great experience. We do not speak Mandarin at home, and she is constantly teaching us new vocabulary and Chinese songs! We've loved having her learn a second language at such a young age, but for us, the real value has been in the social skills that Bin Bin and the other teachers have instilled. The school follows the Emilia Reggio philosophy

Lan To: As a teacher, Binbin is a naturally gifted teacher. As someone who work closely with preschool teacher on a daily basis, my first impression of a good preschool teacher is someone who always gets down to the children's eye level when talking to them. Binbin always does so. It's a habit that is so ingrained in her that she even kneels down when talking to adults. Another quality in a preschool teacher that isn't able to be trained through any teacher training program is good intuition. Binbin is very intuitive about each child's style, personality, and needs. She is able to adjust her style and approach to meet each individual child at his or her comfort level. Both of our sons have different personality. Our four-year-old is extroverted, verbal, and social but somewhat emotional. Binbin was able to foster his strength and engage him in discussions that cater to his language ability at the same time working with him on regulating his frustration. Our two-year-old is much more introverted and slow to warm up. With our younger son, Binbin takes a slower approach to give him the time and space, at the same time providing him with much care and special attention to adjust to the school when he first started. Binbin was able to work with us and provided additional accommodations, including giving him his favorite snacks from home to, allowing him to carry my shirt and his "stuffy" from home for comfort. Our younger son does not quickly become comfortable in a new setting or with new people without us around. The fact that by the third day attending the school, he allowed Binbin and the teacher to receive him and hold him at drop off and there was a significant decrease in his crying throughout the day, is a testament to how much attention and comfort he received from all the adults.In addition to being intuitive, Binbin also has a deep understanding of child development and she applies this by setting very developmentally appropriate expectations on the students and challenging their skills at the appropriate moment. Our four-year-old started at FWM when he was 20 months old. When he first started the program, the teachers would write his name on his art work and he was expected to make attempt to trace it. When he turned three, instead of expecting him to trace his name, they started expecting him to write his name. This approach of exposure through natural opportunities, as well as imposing developmentally appropriate expectation to foster the skill, was how our son learned how to write his name effortlessly.A good quality and enriching preschool program is one that does not keep the children busy with reproducible online worksheets. Binbin's curriculum is enriching and emphasizes learning through exploration and natural opportunities rather than drill-and-kill. Binbin's curriculum include a daily art project that allows the students to freely create when provided with different types of mediums. Through this we were able to see our son's natural skill progression from just scribbling freely on a piece of paper at 20-months old, to simple circles, to simple stick figures, and now different abstracts shapes and figures that illustrate his ideas at four years of age.Lastly, what is most comforted for us as parents is that Binbin is highly involved in the school and she is so detailed-oriented. She is the kind of teacher that people in my field would say "have eyes in back of her head" because nothing escapes her eyes throughout the day at school. If there is ever an incident at school, which is rare because the staff is always so present supervising the students, Binbin is always able to give a detail account about what happened. Because she is so detailed-oriented and involved, she also always is able to pinpoint areas where the student needs further fostering or encouragement to develop.There is much more we can write about how amazing the program and staff at FWM are. We highly recommend FWM to any parents.

Zaid Kahn: Our Son has been with FWM for 2 years. We are incredibly proud of his mandarin and it is a testiment to BinBin and her amazing school. Both my wife and I do not speak Mandarin at home, my wife speaks a different dialect of Chinese and we also speak different languages but we wanted our son to speak Mandarin. Over the last 2 years we are impressed with how much our son has evolved with his Mandarin. We hear him singing songs at home and he can describe things entirely in Mandarin.BinBin is also a very caring teacher. When we go to pick up our son after school she is present to give us information on how he did during the day and pays attention to detail on his behavior, eating habits, naps etc. I am also impressed with how BinBin has a theme every month that focuses on things like Planets, Earth, Plants etc that teaches the children to care for the environment. They also take small field trips that help teach children about community and be thankful to people who provide service to community. Our son also developed some great friendships with other children during his time at FWM. FWM also has a fun art program. Our son developed a love for art and looks forward to his art projects at FWM. He has learned to draw a lot and also build art objects. We also like how good manners are taught at the school, conflicts between kids are resolved quickly and sorry cards are written so kids show compassion.If we didn't have to leave San Francisco we would have loved to see our son complete his final year and we are certain he would have tested well. We are very fortunate that his mandarin in the next immersion pre-school will be very good because his foundation is solid. We highly recommend FWM to any parents looking for a mandarin immersion program. We think FWM is the best in San Francisco with good student/teacher ratio and a caring and nurturing staff for any child's development.

Jennie Liu: Our son was at Fun With Mandarin for almost two years, and he had a wonderful experience. We were so impressed with the level of care, love, nurturing and child-specific attention that was given to him. He developed close bonds with the teachers there and was very much enriched by the curriculum and activities. His Mandarin is excellent, even attending only 2-3 days a week. Binbin and the other teachers are amazing; they truly care about the kids' development and well being. Binbin is also extremely responsive and receptive to any concerns you have and will take the time to discuss anything with you. Her level of energy is incredible, and she is so devoted and dedicated to the kids and the program. A lot of time and thought goes into making each day enriching, stimulating, and educational.Our son is very high energy, emotional and intense. Binbin and the other teachers, through their perceptive care and constant positive reinforcement, have taught him how to play well with others and work together in a group. He has developed a love for arts and crafts through the daily art activities they engage in, which he always brought home proudly. Through each theme period, our son has learned so much, about the seasons, different holidays, family, helping out at home, dinosaurs, etc.Our son has truly flourished during his time at FWM. We were so sad to leave after we moved out of SF! FWM is a unique and special place, and I feel very fortunate our son had this experience.

Patricia Liu: to both comprehend and express herself in Mandarin. She also has the opportunity to participate in varied and stimulating activities like yoga and music classes and field trips within the community.I really want to stress that first and foremost, Binbin Laoshi is a true educator who has helped not only to support my daughter's language development, but also social and emotional skills. She is extremely detail-oriented and thorough, as well as a wonderful communicator who provides valuable feedback at the end of every day to ensure that we can help reinforce behaviors and learning at home and vice versa. It has been so helpful to be on the same page as she has helped with major transitions including starting a new school, potty training, and now introducing a younger sibling into our home.I would gladly recommend FWM to any parent!

Chris Sadler: , we highly valued 3 things. The first: Mandarin immersion. We really wanted an environment where our children could get that experience since neither myself nor my husband speak it, but we wanted them to learn it. Second: a nurturing environment for our children no matter what strengths and interests they have. Third: an environment that would help our children grow into compassionate, kind, considerate people. The teaching philosophies at FWM and the priorities of Binbin and her teachers align perfectly with our values, and FWM has exceeded all our expectations.Our oldest is a very high energy three and a half year old. FWM provides constructive outlets for his energy. He enjoys learning a lot about specific topics that interest him and Binbin does a great job of both getting him excited about the topics they are discussing in school as well as giving him opportunities to go deep on those topics. For example, they just finished a unit about the solar system. We are blown away by how much he knows. He can pick out planets at random and tell us which one it is both in English and in Mandarin and tell us what is special about each planet. Binbin communicates what the children are learning about at school in bi-weekly newsletters and at pick-up which makes it easy for us as parents to continue the lessons at home.We're constantly amazed at how quickly his language skills and vocabulary are growing. He speaks in paragraphs in both Mandarin and English, and we obviously can't take any credit for his Mandarin skills.FWM was also instrumental in helping us potty train him. Life has certainly gotten a lot easier now that he's potty trained!Our youngest is also flourishing at FWM even though he has only been there a few months. Binbin has great intuition for his strengths and weaknesses and really understands that while he is constantly following his brother around, that he is a very different child and ensures he follows his own interests and nurtures his personality. We've seen him mature dramatically and go from speaking random words to complete sentences since he started at FWM. Just tonight, he taught me how to say butterfly in Chinese. Both boys are excited in the morning to go to school, what more could a parent want!We highly recommend FWM and believe it's a great place for our children to grow and mature and prepare for the next step, especially if these three things are as important to you as they are to us.

jennifer halter baceda: We have been at this school since my 10 year old daughter went here. the staff is very friendly and helpful.

Sarah D: A close family member attends school here and they and their parents have never been anything but delighted with this academy. You can't get better staff and care for your child.

Sheila Pierce: We just moved to San Francisco from Rome, Italy, where our children, aged 10 and 7, were attending an Italian public school. Their transition to La Scuola has been seamless thanks to the warmth and intelligence of everyone who works there. It is a first-rate place run by wonderful staff and teachers that offers a welcoming environment of an international community coupled with small-town friendships. From the language immersion program to the IB curriculum to the emphasis on thinking "out-of-the-box" creatively, it is the kind of place parents dream of for their child and the sort of school the kids can't wait to return to after a holiday. I honestly cannot praise the school enough. Run don't walk is all I can say.

Rodney Minott: Our son started La Scuola preschool this year and he loves it! He’s made many friends and all of his teachers are terrific — extraordinarily dedicated and caring. The campus is beautiful and the school's emphasis on the Reggio Emilia learning philosophy offers a richly nurturing learning environment. Our son has embraced his Italian immersion and already enjoys correcting my limited Italian word pronunciations! Getting to know the other parents has also been a great experience. I highly recommend La Scuola.

Lama Nachman: My son started at La Scuola 3 years ago in 1st grade, we couldn't be happier. The school is a gem, the teachers and staff love their jobs, deeply care about the kids and have a really high image of every child. The integrated curriculum and project based learning approach is really effective. Kids are learning everywhere, in the garden, classroom, the city on field trips, art room. It is all connected & well planned, and they truly learn how to become passionate learners.We are not Italian, but we wanted a good international education and the IB program really appealed to us. While our son started relatively late with the Italian, the school was very supportive and he is now fully fluent in Italian. Since this is a startup school, I believe the leadership is a very good predictor of how well the school will continue to do as it grows. The head of the school is a brilliant, dedicated and energetic woman, she really understands kids and cares about what's best for them. She is very creative and resourceful and always finds solutions to any problem. The staff and the teachers are very competent, energetic, work very well together and engage the parents in meaningful ways. In my kid's previous school parents were treated as free resources, not at La Scuola. The community is very tight and each of us bring a different expertise. Most importantly my son loves going to school every morning, nothing beats that.

Claudia Volpi: La Scuola is a truly unique school. The Reggio philosophy strongly emphasizes the environment as the third teacher so great care is put into the classrooms, common spaces, playgrounds and the magnificent ateliers- mini tinkering labs within the school. The campuses are beautiful! Language immersion is done beautifully. Since Reggio emphasizes learning by doing and allowing children to pose the questions about what they're interested in learning, it all happens as part of their day. They are not talked to, but with, ergo they are invested in the learning. They sing, count cups as they set their table, read stories- all in Italian in preK and they use the Montreal model in K8. Our kids have an Italian parent but there are many non speakers whose kids are fluent and translate for their grown ups-- it's very cool to see. The teaching staff at both the preschool and K8 is super qualified. The IB is taught from age 3-13. It emphasizes some global themes: empathy, responsibility, cooperation, respect. Subjects are taught within contexts called units of inquiry, rather than framed separately into 'math', 'science', reading. The teachers are all so warm and nurturing; the HOS warns parents that there will be hugs, Lots of them, and she is right. There is so much joy and the school is truly international with lots of nationalities and languages spoken and celebrated.This school gives one hope that the next generation will grow to be more open minded, civil and cooperative than ours.

Jutta Kamp: atelier, at music classes or in the school library. We're always impressed by the interdisciplinary learning and how much coordination it requires among the involved teacher - their collaboration is just amazing and the kids feel this great vibe.Due to the curriculum, the staff, the respectful and caring atmosphere at school the kids become very aware of the importance of a good social environment and how to maintain it. For example, my son's class developed - selfdriven - their own conflict managing rules to help other students to solve a conflict. And as a a parent we see the huge impact on our kids social behaviors and personalities in general.Creating curious learners is also a focus of the RE approach. Providing very well maintained facilities with child friendly colors, furnitures, toys, arts and crafts supplies help the kids to establish a creative way of thinking and problem solving. Helping the kids to trust their own solving skills builds up our kids self confidence - and our kids have been surprising us with their creative and caring suggestions. It's amazing to observe this!It's a warm hearted and safe place to have your kids go to school with a fantastic community. This is a very special school and we're proud and happy of being part of it!

Erin Colbert: 3.5 years later and we still love and adore La Scuola. It's been such a great environment for our daughter to thrive. I am continually impressed by the dedication and commitment of the teachers. She is now fully fluent in Italian, despite neither parents at home speaking the language. She has made so many friends there and we have truly become part of a great community in San Francisco.Honestly, at one point we had considered leaving SF as so many families do, but it was the community, friends, and top-notch education from La Scuola that kept us close -- so close we purchased a home next door the school. We're looking forward to many more years at La Scuola, both in elementary and middle school.

Richard Bargetto: the teachers to be extremely professional and sincerely interested in the development of the children. There is an authenticity of spirit at La Scuola that is unmatched. Of course, I loved the fact that hugs were freely given and part of the culture of an Italian/International preschool. I was very impressed that the teachers listened intently to the children as the children fully participated in their own learning. The social development component of the curriculum is amazing. Children are allowed to fail and reflect upon what they have learned from all their experiences. My daughter always felt safe there and would run to the gate in the morning. The challenge was always prying her away from her favorite place at the end of the day. The Reggio approach put the child at the center of the learning process. I must admit, I think I have become a better parent as I learned myself about the Reggio philosophy and incorporated it into our household.After preschool, I made a large search for the right elementary school for our family. I went to a couple of Catholic schools, a number of public schools and many independent schools. During my exhaustive search, I was trying to find a school that offered both the curriculum, teaching expertise, community and environment where my daughter could thrive. I did not find one and my daughter has now entering the second grade.La Scuola talks a lot about creating curious learners where students look at an issue through multiple lenses with an interdisciplinary approach. The outcome of such learning helps to deepen their understanding and providing a more comprehensive mechanism for all students to learn. It sounds a bit utopic, but it is really true. My daughter is usually excited about doing her homework and is learning with both her heart and her head.You can feel that La Scuola is a special place the minute you walk through the doors. It's not just the fact that many languages are spoken. Rather it is due to the fact that the staff and community are committed to learning and creating something unique in San Francisco. If you don't believe me, stop by for a visit. I know you will be impressed.Richard BargettoParent of La Scuola Second Grader

Aaron Harms: La Scuola flew under the radar for us when we were researching the maze of preschools and K-8 programs in San Francisco, but once we found out about the school and went on a tour, we were blown away. And since starting, our daughter has flourished in countless ways.The school combines two really interesting and leading-edge approaches to education: the progressive Reggio-Emilia approach and the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate. The Reggio piece provides all the creative goodness of progressive education - joy, exploration, and unexpected discovery. And the IB delivers the rigor: a robust and global set of standards to ensure the quality and standards will always be top notch. The combination of the two is really innovative and compelling.We're not Italian nor do we speak it at home - in addition to a progressive education with high standards, we wanted an international school, along with all the neuroscience benefits of a bilingual education, and were pretty agnostic on what that second language is. There are lots of parents like us, along with parents with strong connections to Italy as well.The Director, Valentina, is warm, accessible, and a real visionary... and the teachers are amazingly talented and tireless. Each week we get a lengthy newsletter detailing everything that happened in our daughter's class - new concepts that were explored, snippets of conversation, and photos and videos of learning in action. It's an incredible window into the magic that happens on a daily basis.Finally, lots of people rightly focus on the experience for kids when looking at preschools and K-8 programs. Keep in mind that it's also going to be a big part of your community as parents as well. When you go on the tour and talk to other parents, imagine that this circle will become a central piece of your social life for years to come. We weren't really certain what that experience would be like at a private school in San Francisco, but have found the La Scuola community to be warm, down to earth, creative, and energized... folks that we would want to hang out with even if we weren't bound together by our children's education.So check it out - there's no substitute for going on a tour to see what makes this place so special. You may secretly want to go back in time and be in school yourself!

Laura Pacchini: Outstanding, nurturing and child-led environment - a place for young minds to build explore the world through all of their senses. Amazing organic lunch prepared in the kitchen, special garden and garden teacher to understand how things are made - and the most wonderful, educated and thoughtful community of educators and families together.

Tarrah Smith Pollaro: Perfect place for our daughter and family. The staff and community are great, the learning/exploring environment is top-notch and the Italian immersion is a bonus.

Marco Paglia: Lovely school managed by lovely people.