The Mandarin Immersion (MI) program at Orion Alternative Elementary is hands-down Redwood City's…read morebest-kept secret for an exceptional public school education. It is an extraordinary environment where students of all backgrounds can thrive. For non- Mandarin speaking families, the dedicated support, including a specialized TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) ensures kids catch up to grade level. My own daughter attended TK elsewhere and had no trouble catching up in Mandarin when she started Kindergarten here. What Makes Orion Special: Dedicated Staff & Leadership: The teachers are exceptionally kind, attentive, and engaged. Principal Winnie works tirelessly to address parent feedback through frequent, accessible touchpoints like Zoom check-ins and Principal Coffees. Vibrant After-School Support: A huge shoutout to PlayThrive, the on-site Mandarin after-school program, which provides fantastic enrichment and care. They help kids with homework and support the mandarin learning, but also offer extracurricular activities (for an added fee) of Math camp, Photography, Sports, etc. An Unmatched Parent Community: Parent involvement here is incredible and it really feels like a collaborative team effort to help our kids succeed. Beyond cultural celebrations like the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year, and Dragonboat races, there are constant opportunities for parents to connect. Our family has gotten involved in "BroRion" (the dads' group), moms' pickleball and even parent dragon boat racing! Things to Keep in Mind: Like any growing public school, Orion faces a few operational hurdles: Facilities & Funding: Facility maintenance and air conditioning can be ongoing challenges, but the active parent community consistently steps up to help bridge the gaps. For instance, during the hottest day of the year, the air conditioning was not working well in some of the TK portables but parents dropped off air conditioning units. The school also relies on annual fundraising drives to fund classroom assistants and extra enrichment classes. Admissions: While TK often has a waitlist through the lottery, the program's expansion means there are usually plenty of openings for Kindergarten. Academic Outcomes: Don't be deterred if some students transition to North Star Academy after 3rd grade. CAASPP assessment data consistently shows that the MI students who remain in grades 3-5 score exceptionally high in Math and ELA, with the vast majority testing at the "Advanced" level. This is especially impressive since they learn Math in Mandarin, but test Math in English. Orion is a warm, high-achieving, and deeply supportive community. We are very fortunate to be part of this school!

We bought a house in Redwood City specifically so our child could attend this school. Since we…read moredon't speak Chinese at home and our daughter was diagnosed with a speech delay at age two, I wasn't sure how much Mandarin she would actually pick up from the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion, especially without extra support from us. But after completing kindergarten and halfway through first grade, she surprised us by initiating conversations in Chinese on her own. I'm pretty sure I cried the first time it happened. The teachers are incredibly thoughtful and professional, especially in guiding young kids through learning two languages. In the first few years, about 90% of the school day is conducted in Chinese, which provides an immersive experience during those crucial early years. I remember my daughter sometimes mixed up calling her teacher "mama" and calling me "Wu Laoshi" -- small but meaningful signs of the trust she was building in this environment. The quality of education is outstanding. It's project-based, with a rich blend of art, gardening, STEAM, and physical education throughout the week. During lunch, the kids have options for how they spend their free time. My daughter loves cooling off in the air-conditioned library on hot days, gardening with friends, or practicing her monkey bar skills on more moderate days (after all, Redwood City is known for its slogan, "Climate Best by Government Test"). What matters most to me is that my daughter wakes up excited for school. She genuinely looks forward to her day, eager to see her teacher, curious about the new things she'll learn, spend time with her friends, and engage in the many activities this wonderful space offers. It's a place where she's building her own community, being challenged academically, and hopefully forming friendships that will last at least until high school. At this age, while academics are important, a positive and supportive community matters even more to us. Finding both at the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion has been an absolute gift, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have this school in the Bay Area.

My daughter attended GW after school for five years since she was in first grade (she is now in…read moremiddle school). It was an amazing experience and we loved this little after school program. First, the director teacher Ann is very nice and very supportive. She is easy to talk to and very accommodating. They offer varieties of Chinese lessons as well as academic supports. They plan for outdoor activities and parties throughout the year. They also teach arts/crafts such as modeling clays. They provide pick ups from different schools in the FC-SM school district. I highly recommended this program for anyone who is looking for a safe, nurturing, and fun after school program in the foster city area.

My son attended 3-5th grade and my daughter is finishing up kindergarten at Stepping Stone. We…read morehighly recommend the program and appreciate the additional enrichment activities offered (eg, art, chess, abacus) and responsiveness of the staff. They also coordinate with Heart Beat Dance Academy to get kids to dance classes.

My son just started Kindergarten this fall. We needed afterschool care arrangements and preferred…read moreMandarin enrichment as part of that equation. We feel very fortunate to find Stepping Stone as the solution. I attended mandarin weekend school as a child and they taught in the very traditional methods (rote memory, writing pages of characters, etc). I detested going to chinese school. Fortunately, this is not the case at all at SSEA. The teachers are kind, encouraging, motivating and age appropriate. They sing songs, play games, the teachers and children are happy, smiling. The students are well behaved and enjoying their days and LEARNING! SSEA provides pick up from various schools in Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood Shores. They also offer enrichment classes for abacus, art, chess, and piano (keyboard). This solves so many things for us so we don't have to fill up our weekends with these things. While I appreciate that the elementary schools offer Spanish as part of their standard curriculum, I felt it was important to provide the mandarin language learning to my ABC son. I'm sure at this rate his Mandarin will exceed my skills soon. I'm excited to have a "secret" language to share with him. My son LOVES going to chinese school, he's interested in learning more mandarin, and we're all grateful for a caring and effective chinese school in our area. Thank you Stepping Stone!

The Mandarin Immersion (MI) program at Orion Alternative Elementary is hands-down Redwood City's…read morebest-kept secret for an exceptional public school education. It is an extraordinary environment where students of all backgrounds can thrive. For non- Mandarin speaking families, the dedicated support, including a specialized TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) ensures kids catch up to grade level. My own daughter attended TK elsewhere and had no trouble catching up in Mandarin when she started Kindergarten here. What Makes Orion Special: Dedicated Staff & Leadership: The teachers are exceptionally kind, attentive, and engaged. Principal Winnie works tirelessly to address parent feedback through frequent, accessible touchpoints like Zoom check-ins and Principal Coffees. Vibrant After-School Support: A huge shoutout to PlayThrive, the on-site Mandarin after-school program, which provides fantastic enrichment and care. They help kids with homework and support the mandarin learning, but also offer extracurricular activities (for an added fee) of Math camp, Photography, Sports, etc. An Unmatched Parent Community: Parent involvement here is incredible and it really feels like a collaborative team effort to help our kids succeed. Beyond cultural celebrations like the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year, and Dragonboat races, there are constant opportunities for parents to connect. Our family has gotten involved in "BroRion" (the dads' group), moms' pickleball and even parent dragon boat racing! Things to Keep in Mind: Like any growing public school, Orion faces a few operational hurdles: Facilities & Funding: Facility maintenance and air conditioning can be ongoing challenges, but the active parent community consistently steps up to help bridge the gaps. For instance, during the hottest day of the year, the air conditioning was not working well in some of the TK portables but parents dropped off air conditioning units. The school also relies on annual fundraising drives to fund classroom assistants and extra enrichment classes. Admissions: While TK often has a waitlist through the lottery, the program's expansion means there are usually plenty of openings for Kindergarten. Academic Outcomes: Don't be deterred if some students transition to North Star Academy after 3rd grade. CAASPP assessment data consistently shows that the MI students who remain in grades 3-5 score exceptionally high in Math and ELA, with the vast majority testing at the "Advanced" level. This is especially impressive since they learn Math in Mandarin, but test Math in English. Orion is a warm, high-achieving, and deeply supportive community. We are very fortunate to be part of this school!

A Thriving, Inclusive, and Supportive Community…read more We are incredibly grateful for the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion. As non-Mandarin speakers, my wife and I wanted our children to learn a new language, and this program has exceeded our expectations. Both of our kids absolutely love the school--so much so that they would live there if they could! Our youngest even gets upset if we have to pick him up early, which speaks volumes about how much they enjoy being there. The teachers are excellent--caring and compassionate while pushing the kids to reach higher standards. The level of parental involvement is something special too; it's supportive in all the right ways. As a multicultural family, with my wife being African American and me Hispanic, diversity and inclusion are very important to us. Orion fosters a sense of belonging not just for our kids but for us as parents as well. Our children also speak Spanish, and learning Mandarin has been a rewarding challenge for them. In fact, they jokingly call it their "secret language" because neither my wife nor I speak it, which adds an extra layer of fun and pride in their learning. The community here is fantastic--inclusive and most importantly, supportive of one another. Even without Mandarin support at home, our children are thriving beyond our wildest expectations. Their proficiency in Mandarin, as well as in Math and English, is impressive. The high standards set by the school are matched by the dedication of the teachers, ensuring that our kids are growing and learning more than we could have imagined. We couldn't be happier with our choice to enroll our children in Orion Alternative Elementary School. It's more than just a school; it's a community that we're proud to be a part of.

I have 2 kids attending UP Academy and they love the school!…read more My older son used to struggle in a public school with math and writing. 3 years ago, at 2nd grade, we transferred him to UP Academy, and, within a few months, he has become a lil writer. He fell in love with writing. He wrote one full-page of very a fun story. I can't thank you enough to all the educators there. Since then until now, he always happy every morning that he gets to go to school. He loves the community there and the small-sized class makes him feel like a part of the community. My younger one started last year as a kindergartner. He loves his teachers and his friends. He learned a lot academically and socially. We love how UP academy teaches kids by their own paces. Thus, our kids get challenged throughout the year. If you are looking for a project-based learning, a place where you child can build confidence and empathy, small class sized, great community, and personalized learning, UP Academy is the place for your kids.

We love UP Academy!…read more My older one went to the school since 2nd grade (now 3rd grader), and my younger one since TK (K now). The school is relatively new (2.5 years old) but our kids attended since 2 years ago. We are happy with the school in the full two years. ***Strength** We love the super low teacher-student ratio, the differentiation of learning. We also love the mixed-age classes, that allow kids to grow and thrive not limited by grade but by the their own levels. The school focused on growth mindset and recognize the efforts and progress. We also love the focus on project-based learning and social-emotion learning. The school also offers foreign languages classes, Chinese/Mandarin and Spanish. This might be a good plus for some families. We love that. We also appreciate the schools offer afterschool extension to 6pm as well. This is very helpful for parents who are both working. The school builds a great community. Teachers that we experienced - which means all teachers since we have two kids there for two years - are all very caring. Kids love each of them. The founder has an amazing vision inspired by a strong why. We love the philosophy, the vision & mission of the school. ***Potential concerns some families may have*** - Small school space: As a micro school, the school space is small - basically an office building only. But with various field trips and outdoor learning opportunities, especially during the pre-pandemic era, we don't have any concern at all. There's indoor facility for exercise, and kids love it. - Small class size For some parents, the small class size might be another concern for social issues. However, I appreciate this a lot since it also means great individual attention from teachers. Every kid can develop his/her own learning plan, academically and socially. We particularly appreciate the small size of the school during the pandemic time. A small class makes us feel safe to send kids to school in person during pandemic, knowing that the school is small and our kids could still learn and socialize safely in person with the COVID precautions that bigger schools may not be able to offer. The school remains open in 2020-2021 school year with the waiver. I believe it's heathier for kids to interact in person than virtually on Zoom anyways. - New school This is a progressive lab elementary school, and yes it's pretty new. We've seen the school evolving in the past two years, and overall towards a even better direction. I do encourage families to experience the school themselves during the trial-out days. We did so before we transferred our kids from a good public school in the following school year. Kids loved Up Academy so much that we made the decision right after they experienced the school. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we've ever made. Overall, we love the school and highly recommend the school to other families.

I'm sad to report that College Park hit the wall this past year. In terms of it being a school…read morewith qualities our family supports, it's no longer a fit for us. Be aware: API results blend gifted (self contained) classes with the general school population. To analyze test scores for non-GATE Mandarin-track kids, you'll have to dig hard. It's a mixed picture. Sadly, most parents don't know how tough it is to staff Mandarin schools well (I've been involved with Mandarin immersion schooling for 25 years). CP is now bleeding experienced staff who feel the program under-serves kids who can't deal with immersion. They're 100% right btw. To evaluate this school accurately, ask tough questions about budget, and visit more than one Mandarin program. This one's budget is threadbare and nearly entirely reliant on volunteers to supplement teaching. If your child is a VERY adept speaker of English (i.e. will not require any help ever supplementing his reading or writing in English) an un-funded Mandarin public school education probably won't do much damage. Our story... In 2011-12, a bullying problem flared up. A core of tough boys were leading teachers around by the nose, disrupting class,and taunting kids. Ours got it often, others had it worse. There was a lot of boy-on-girl bullying. We and my daughter asked for help, but teachers were intimidated by the boys and ineffectual in handling them. We asked about a bullying policy and were told there wasn't one. Some teachers were turning a blind eye out of misplaced empathy for boys who needed to be removed from class, educated separately, or punished. I was told - after witnessing a very public humiliation of my daughter by 5 boys - that "these kids have trouble at home." It was my 9 year old's job to suck it up and tolerate it apparently. The air at College Park is thick with racial politics, and it has repeatedly affected the daily lives of some children (granted some kids feel none of this and to them I say: mazel tov, you've been lucky). The principal rejects the concept that there are discipline problems, or indeed ANY serious problems with the program. Her own staff roll their eyeballs when the subject of Mrs. H "listening" is mentioned. Nothing derails her constant, tedious boosterism. Imposing Mandarin immersion on a student body whose parents are perhaps 10% functionally illiterate or 40% poor English speakers is just bad policy. It's true that a few English-learners excel, but they are a tiny minority. Most struggle. Many fail. These kids need a strong traditional English program. Teaching quality is all across the board. Many long-time teachers of English at CP have been wonderful. Some of them are leaving. And frankly, their efforts are being undermined by this now unfunded, experimental Mandarin program. Given the extreme needs among the local kids for outstanding English teaching, I'm truly confused about why the district would continue Mandarin at College Park. You're lifting API at the expense of kids who need the 3 Rs. Budget decimation. In December 2011, the federal government pulled the grant program that funded the $300,000/year Mandarin immersion program at College Park. To be clear: THE FEDERAL MONEY IS GONE. We all knew it was coming. I asked if they wanted help raising serious foundation money but was told they didn't understand the questions I was asking ("What is your budget and where is it written down?). The level of naivete around how to manage the loss of funds by raising other funds was startling - really startling. You do NOT find $100k+ at a bake sale or a single Chinese meal for PTA members. Heavy fundraising requires professional expertise and a budget. They have no expertise and demonstrated confusion when asked for a budget. A nice, totally inexperienced group of parents was assembled to raise money to replace some of the funds. They had raised, by June 2012, about $20,000. So, from $300,000 to, less than 1% of that. The principal doesn't dig outside expertise. Big mistake. She needs heavy help fund raising and she's not asking for it. The lady shows all the signs of having a thin skin and refusing help she can't control. 3rd and 4th grades were combined. There is no more differentiated instruction in Mandarin. New parents rarely understand how badly CP's immersion compares to those in other districts. Their kids may end up doing ok, but only if they have plenty of outside tutors in Mandarin. We were sad to leave that community of friendly people. PTA folks are super. But we felt that under present leadership, CP would never fix its troubles. There are some super smart parents trying to make it work at CP. I earnestly wish them luck. But it's unlikely the program will thrive without leadership change.

My daughter is now in second grade. She was a kinder when a brand new principle came to the…read moreschool. I had a lot of respect for the previous principle and I also feel really good about the current one. I think Steven Chuang probably speaks more Mandarin than English so his delivery might be misunderstood by folks that are native. Over the course of the last 3 years I do see a lot of compassion and effort on his part, and the teachers too. It seems to me like this is a great school where u have parents teachers and principle working together. I will say I am not a fan of the district people for taking away the magic from the bilingual after school program. Kuai Le. I was not impressed by the people sitting in the district offices.

We have two kids graduated from PRINTS kindergarten. One started already in Children's House and…read morecompleted, the other started from Nido and also completed Children's House. The kids actually did not overlap due to age difference, but we had such a great experience with the first one when we first moved to the Bay Area, we decided to send the second one there as well. What we like about PRINTS: 1. The campus is very clean, and managed to have in-person learning with only 1 minor disruption starting back in summer 2020 (with camps first) and continued throughout, while the public schools remained in distance learning mode. 2. The freshly cooked meals are excellent. The younger kid literally loved the meals at PRINTS more than anywhere else. 3. Teaching standard very high, and kids have no problem transitioning to public schools afterward. (I came from a family with many professors and teachers and have a doctoral degree myself.)

Our child started the Nido program this summer and he has flourished at PRINTS…read more He is given lots of floor time and has learned to roll and is working hard on sitting. He is offered solids, and they are even following his cues and place him on the potty. The daycare providers all are very loving and invested in the progress and growth of our son. We even had a few questions on sleep training and they lent us a book from the school library that was incredibly informative. It's such a relief to not have to worry about his safety and well being while we're away at work. Yes, they are pricier than the other programs, and while we were fortunate enough to have been admitted in a few infant day cares and had options, we opted for PRINTS because the atmosphere was much more calm, clean, and organized, which translated into providers being more focused on the kids. Our little guy is very happy here, and their investment in our son's milestones is pushing us to be better parents--we've gotten more proactive with introducing solids and potty time to our kiddo! I have a friend whose daughters are enrolled in the Emeryville PRINTS location and they are very happy at that location as well!

My child went to Shu when he was 18 months old. Before that I had toured more than 20 daycares and…read morepreschools. What makes Shu stand out of this list are the follows: 1. It is a Mandarin immersion school that we want out kid to be a native Mandarin speaker. Meanwhile we also don't want to put his English at a risk and potentially hurts his interview for private elementary schools. Shu has a reasonable balance between English and Mandarin. At the toddler class, either two out of the three or all three teachers are Mandarin teachers; at the preschool class one out of the two teachers is Mandarin one; and at the pre-K class, about ~70% of the time the kids are exposed to English so as to prepare for elementary school. 2. Teachers are professional and with proactive communication. We worked a lot with Director Mia and the class teachers, and they all are very proactive and patient. They don't only give explanations of the issue and problems but also give the reasons and would discuss with the parents to decide the final solutions that the most suitable to the kid. The teachers give suggestions that helps kids' development of multiple perspectives, for example, I learned a lot to help my son deal with his newborn sibling. Also we worked together on potty train and correcting some behavior issues. As far as now, I'm happy with their professional collaboration and suggestions. 3. The curriculum is excellent. Shu is an academy based school so by choosing it, we expect our kid would be exposed to many knowledges and skills, and it turns out he actually are. The highlight is that Shu puts all knowledges and skills in the form of games and the kids don't feel any pressure of learning. They have many specifically designed games(lessons) and experiments to practice their motor skills, to share knowledges of different themes and to explore beauties of the worlds. With such a way of learning, my kid keeps a strong interest to learning, has a very good sense of reasoning, is good at expressing himself in both languages, and is motivated enough to explore complicated unknowns independently. 4. My kid, and as well as his classmates, are all super happy every day. Some of his friends left the school but they are still very happy to come back for backup care.

Shu Academy has been a great choice for us given our priority to raise a bilingual child. Our son…read morejoined this preschool after turning 3 but knew minimal English; in just 6-8 months, he progressed remarkably, confidently having conversations in English. We were impressed! At the same time, our little one continued to master his mother tongue, Mandarin, and is about to recite several Chinese poems and songs he learned from school! The teachers are passionate and fun. They continue to come up with creative activities that keep the kids engaged and excited. They celebrate American and Chinese holidays, allowing kids to be immersed in both cultures/ traditions. Yet, their approach is holistic, balancing fun activities with meaningful "schoolwork", such as writing alphabets, numbers and Chinese characters.   On top of that, we appreciate constant communication from staff - they share plenty of photos / videos daily and newsletters weekly, keeping us informed about our child's fun days.  Their extended care option and lunch option also offer great convenience for busy parents.