I would give Genius Learning 6 stars if I could. Both of my children, now 4 and 2 years old,…read morestarted at Genius Learning when they were 2. Genius Learning feels incredibly underrated. They provide full-day coverage (until 5:55 PM), have a very reasonable holiday schedule (which, as a working parent, I deeply appreciate), and serve hot lunches every day. I'm so sad to be parting ways with Genius Learning. We're moving to the lower peninsula, and my older child is entering TK. Those are the only reasons we're leaving.
We've toured many private immersion schools in the city, and the funny thing is that the more expensive they are, the more days they're closed. What are parents supposed to do? The hot lunches alone remove a huge logistical burden for families. They don't use Brightwheel or seem to invest heavily in marketing, which I suspect helps keep costs down for parents. They still share photos through LINE, so you stay connected and see what your children are doing throughout the day.
My children have never resisted going to "school." At their age, there's only honesty, so I think that says a lot about how they feel about the environment. They leave happily in the morning and come home happily at pickup.
Academically, I've been extremely impressed. My 4-year-old is now writing Chinese, and I want to emphasize 'writing' Chinese. He comes home talking about 偏旁部首 (Chinese radicals). We recently traveled to Yunnan, and my son saw some farmers and commented, "他们在粒粒皆辛苦". I immediately texted the principal because I was so thankful and amazed. It wasn't just that he was speaking Mandarin. It was the vocabulary, the sentence structure, and his ability to express empathy and observation in another language.
The children also practice numbers, the alphabet, and both uppercase and lowercase letters. I feel that he's well prepared for TK. At home, he speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, and the school environment has tremendously reinforced his language development. While it's a Mandarin immersion program, some of the children speak English as well, and I don't mind that at all.
Heidi, the principal, is incredibly responsive whenever parents have questions or concerns. The teachers are wonderful and provide exactly what we were looking for during these important early childhood years. The school feels like an extension of home. I trust that the teachers truly have my children's best interests at heart. Some of the teaching assistants are Cantonese-speaking, so there's occasionally a language barrier for me, and I'm sure it's even more challenging for some other parents. That said, you simply can't replace the love and care they show the children every day.
And then there's Teacher Anna. Every child seems to adore her. I honestly don't know how she does it. My son tells her, "I love you," and he barely says that to his mama! I've heard the same thing from other children. When she leaves for the day and walks to her car, the kids rush to the window, excitedly waving and shouting goodbye. That kind of love and connection can't be taught. It's a testament to the warmth, dedication, and care she brings every single day.
We'll miss Genius Learning dearly, and we're incredibly grateful for the role it has played in our children's early years.