I took Tagalog 1 with Rhya in summer 2023 and Tagalog 2 with Nicky in summer 2025. Both times I…read moreopted for Hybrid courses, since I would be back in the Bay part of summer, and I definitely recommend adding that option if you learn better in-person. I was typically the only student who came in-person since most students take the class remote, but being able to be in the same room as the instructor helped my motivation during class immensely. Rhya and Nicky are both so kind and knowledgeable. You can tell that they are not only experts in the language (as native speakers from the Philippines) but in pedagogy. As a community college professor myself, I admire how organized the class was and how welcoming they are. The other students in my recent class were highly motivated and excited to learn Tagalog for various reasons. Some like me grew up with Filipino parents but never learned Tagalog, while others are in relationships with Filipinos/Filipino Americans and want to engage more deeply with the community through language. Overall, SJLC has been a positive experience, and I am excited to take the next (and last) level of Tagalog 3. The current rates for Tagalog (7 weeks, weekly meeting for small group) is $399 remote, $419 in person, and $449 hybrid -- note: this is a "Prime" class, so it is priced a bit higher since the instructor is a native speaker with 5+ years of teaching experience).

SJLC (San Jose Learning Center) has a great number of language classes - online, hybrid, or…read morein-class - and a variety of schedules, esp. for busy adults. The instructor that I had, Keiko is great. She is very patient and always willing to help. (The courses can be fast though depending the language and the books being used). The other people there are always very polite and helpful as well. The facility, while basic, is clean and conducive to learning. They seem to use a mix of media (e.g. slides, Quizlet, etc. which is good). FYI - it is near SJC - San Jose Int'l airport and the jets taking off can be somewhat loud at times.

RCS uses Homestead High in Cupertino on Saturday mornings. It seems the admin staff is…read morecurrent/prior parents who are non-paid. Thus, the tuition is super inexpensive, about $8/hour. Teachers all have taught over 10 years and are kind. Class size is small (10 or less). I wonder if the school is run on deficit or not. Parents seem to come by word of mouth. RCS is not well known in the community. Rather than paying a fortune for online Chinese lessons, we should broastcast to the Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino, Sanra Clara community to encourage parents to come to Homestead High on Saturdays to take a look.

My kid started at Rainbow in 4th grade during COVID and has continued now to in person…read moreinstructions. I like that there are options to choose to learn simplified or traditional characters. The level of difficulty is just right. They follow the Meizhou Huayu curriculum but the teachers also use other helpful supplements / activities to help the kids practice and expand their vocabulary. The assignments are age and developmentally appropriate and engaging. We have about 8 kids in our class and each kid gets a lot of opportunities to participate and get feedback. Environment at Homestead High is also nice. Overall a great experience for kids and parents.

As a mom, I couldn't be happier with Sunflower's afterschool and summer camp program. Before…read moreenrolling my two kids, I toured seven or eight different afterschool programs, and Sunflower stood out the most. My kids absolutely love their teachers--they're young, kind, and engaging, which is a refreshing contrast to some of the older teaching staff at other schools. What really sets Sunflower apart is its balance between play and academics. They teach Mandarin well. My kids, who don't hear Mandarin at home, have picked it up remarkably just through their exposure at Sunflower. They now recite poems, and their Chinese books come with online supplemental learning and bring home flashcards every week to reinforce their learning. Beyond Mandarin, Sunflower also offers additional classes, including math, which is included in tuition. I also appreciate that they provide nutritous snacks--one of the only afterschool programs I've found that ensures kids are well-fed, which aligns with my parenting philosophy. The only minor drawback is that the outdoor play area isn't very large, but they make up for it with creative games in their fenced backyard. My kids love the classic childhood games they play there. We also enrolled them in Sunflower's summer camp, which includes a fun picnic day where the kids take a yellow school bus to the park for a party--it honestly makes me wish I could join in! The school also arranges pick up from Cupertino schools. Overall, we've had a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it!

Both of my two kids have attended this after school center. My daughter enjoyed it and made a lot…read moreof friends there. But my son had some mixed feelings about it and did not enjoy it much. I have always appreciated the structure of teaching mandarin and the hard-working of the teachers. As parents, we trusted this after center to be a reliable place for after school care.

DO NOT GO TO THIS BAD SCHOOL!!!!!! This school is dirty, unsanitary. I got sick by eating their…read morecinnamon toast crunch. The enviornment has only 1 plant, and is extremely crowded and stinky. There are desks with nobody on it, taking up so much space. You get so many colds and influenzas here. Teachers come directly from China, with horrid English. Violent Teachers, too. They do not care about students' feelings in any way; the teachers are mean and shout at innocent kids, and don't even try to make them happy again. Teachers say they have good Chinese, but 5th grade uses 3RD GRADE CHINESE BOOKS!!!!!!!!! Math is so bad, teachers don't care e about ignorant kids. Once, a kid brought a pocket knife and hurt some kid in the leg, no one cares, even. Teachers mean. Online pictures are fake. Gr edu(谷雨) & Sunflower is better, don't take their scam.

Extremely crowed environment with almost no public space for kids to socialized or play. The class…read morerooms are arranged full with desks, teacher directly come from China. The school is proud of its China teaching which focus on aggressive academics agenda. They even use the same book used in China, although the promise not to teach communist propaganda. Picking up kid after school is very crowded and challenging, disability parking almost always parked at rush hour with no honor of code.

We went to Wawon for a while before kindergarten, while our friends continue to go years later. The…read moreteachers are excellent and the class sizes are small and comfortable. Would recommend for Japanese immersion.

I have been taking lessons with Lily since July this year. Lily has helped me a lot in terms of…read moreimproving pronunciation, expanding vocabulary/idioms and understanding American culture and history. Lily is so so patient to correct every single error in my pronunciation. She guides me to practice up until my pronunciation sounds the way it should be. After I learn how to position my tongue for the different vowel sounds, I think I become more conscious of my pronunciation in a day-to-day conversation. (I believe that the conscious efforts every day make a difference!). In my case, our lesson always starts with an animation clip that covers various subjects from science to history. This piece is very helpful to me in that I can expand my vocabulary/idioms as well as learn about the topics/subjects that I didn't know before. Lily's explanation is very clear and easy to understand. I just wanted to share my good learning experiences with Lily, as I thought this might be beneficial to those who are looking for one-on-one English lessons.

I came to the States last year. I think I have improved my English in terms of listening a lot. On…read morethe other hand, to get rid of an accent is very hard. She is very patient with my accent and knows what my weak point is. I strongly recommend taking her lessons if you have any troubles with your accent.

Great afterschool with lots of outdoor space. Kungfu and taiji programs are the best in the area.read more

I register my daughter in after school program and summer school…read more Teachers are warm and they care about kids. The environment is like family once kids are accustomed to it. Summer school program is also enrich and interesting. I will keep sending my daughter here.

Teachers really care for the kids. The curriculum is at a higher level than the public curriculum…read more Yet, the low student to teacher ratio means the teachers can see and help each child. Tuition is also less than other private schools. This is also a mandarin immersion school that teaches traditional bo po mo fo which we love. The parents do not need to speak the language at home and there are many families that do not speak Mandarin. Overall, great place for kids to learn and grow.

We are absolutely thrilled with our experience at Mandarin Academy, and we couldn't be happier with…read morethe progress our son has made since starting Kindergarten this year. One of the most remarkable aspects of Mandarin Academy is the speed at which our son has started speaking Chinese at home. We are a non-Chinese family. Within just three weeks of starting, he was already bringing his newfound language skills into our daily conversations. Another key factor that sets Mandarin Academy apart is its small class sizes. In these intimate settings, every student has the opportunity to actively engage and participate in the learning process. This focus on individual attention and participation is invaluable when it comes to mastering a new language, and we've seen firsthand how it has benefited our child's language development. We also got a spot offered by Cupertino Union School District (CUSD), but after experiencing what Mandarin Academy has to offer, we made the decision to withdraw and stay with Mandarin Academy. Main reason was the big class sizes at CUSD (20+ students) which makes it hard to learn a language. The higher standards, personalized approach, and dedication to language education at Mandarin Academy were simply unmatched, and we believe this is the best place for our child to flourish.