This is my daughter third year attending this Chinese school and she loves it! So far she is…read morelearning Cantonese, which is hard to find in the Bay Area. They will start to add in Mandarine at a later grade level. All the teachers so far have been great finding kid appropriate method to teach them Chinese, which is really hard for the elementary aged. The school also have so many fun activities to get the kids excited for the school.

Excellent Chinese school in the bay area…read more My son was attending school in Hong Kong in his early age, during the time, his teachers were mostly using Cantonese and English, and of course, his classmates were speaking Cantonese too. When we relocated to the bay area, we found a problem that he started NOT using Cantonese to talk to us and so does talking to his little brother. My wife and I think it's critical to keep his mother language, which is Cantonese, in both verbal communications and writing skills. We start looking for a good Chinese school, which is teaching Chinese using Cantonese and Traditional Chinese characters, for my sons to learn Chinese. And then realized finding such school is extremely difficult! Most Chinese schools are teaching mandarine and simplified Chinese characters; I don't against using it, but as a Hongkonger, we grew up using Cantonese and Traditional Chinese, we can better teach our kids using the same language, and we think Cantonese and Traditional Chinese are harder to learn, kids can always be able to learn the mandarine and simplified Chinese when they grown up, provided that they have a good foundation of Chinese culture and understanding of Chinese. as a result, we go to this school, west valley Chinese school. The class schedule is every Friday night, 2hr each, we can still have Sat to do something else, it's a good fit for us. The most important part is the teaching programme, which can continue his Chinese education without much difficulties on starting, which make everything easier for parents to send their kids to school. My son had been there for two years, we are really enjoying the learning environments, making friends who're speaking the same language with us, and a lot of activities that can enhance the ability of my son (and us) to use Chinese. I am really glad that the teachers there are very professional and teaching with heart; As an example, my son was having a read-a-loud competition, and the teacher were using her spare time to do extra training with him, for two months before the class; We are talking to the teacher almost everytime after class, learnt the difficulties of teaching kids the Chinese in the US, and got a lot of advice from the teacher on how can we do better, and also share the techniques to communicate with kids. Just like normal daytime school. I will send my 2nd kid to the school for sure. I hope my kids can be attending the school till grade-12, making friends there and having fun. So far from the two years school life, I would say it's promising ;).

I've been wanting to learn ASL but wasn't sure where I could go to take classes. I found out about…read moreSan Jose Learning Center and signed up for ASL 1 with Alexa. I originally wanted to take the class in-person, but due to my own schedule, decided to enroll in the online one. I was a bit unsure how much I'd be able to learn through an online course (as I usually prefer in-person classes), but I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot from Alexa! I appreciate SJLC's wide variety of language offerings and flexibility with online, hybrid, and in-person classes. I'm looking forward to taking more classes!

I finished my Japanese 2 here. Teacher Sai is very nice and professional. Really recommend this to…read moreanyone interested in learning Japanese!

My kids started with RCS since K. This a nice tight knit community, run purely by parent…read morevolunteers. The school board, admin staff members are all parent volunteers who give their time for the school. In fact, they even have volunteers helping out even after their kids have all graduated. I have been volunteering for more than 10 years and all the parents I've worked with care not only about their own kids' education but the whole school in general. Feels good to help out in such a meaningful environment. The teachers genuinely care about their students and are focused on making sure the students are learning the language. Enrollment has gone down due to the pandemic and class sizes are small, allowing teachers to get to know the students better, know their learning styles to make learning Chinese a fun activity.

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.

Could you imagine contacting a food pantry to donate boxed, non-perishable food items and then they…read morereject it because they "do not have the capacity to store them"? I'm not talking about pallets of food, just a cart full that I decided to buy to celebrate my birthday. 43 birthday cake mix kits, plus other canned goods and diapers. That's too bad because I'm sure some families and individuals could use it. Not going to donate or volunteer here ever again. Yup, I've done so in the past. Was hoping I could help out my local community but I'll be donating and volunteering elsewhere out of my zip code.

West Valley Community Service is such a great resource for residents of Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte…read moreSereno Saratoga, and West San Jose, areas of West Valley California, who are in need of emergency financial assistance and/or food. They offer a wonderful food pantry, that is open 5 days a week, during the workweek, and you can even come an additional day of the week, during the workweek on Fridays, in which you are able to select additional groceries and this day is called "Fresh Fridays". Fresh Fridays are reserved specifically for members of the West Valley Community to stock up on, or replenish their supplies, of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and fresh baked goods. When shopping at their food pantry, you are even free choose your own selection of groceries and (once you complete your initial registration for their services) they give you a significant amount of groceries. In fact, at West Valley Community Services, they give you an entire grocery cart FULL of groceries (that you get to select from their pantry), every week (and they even provide you with grocery bags if needed). Again, everyone, who is eligible for their services, is able to shop the regular food pantry at West Valley Community Services, once per week! That's an average of 4 times per month, and 4 grocery carts filled with groceries each month! The food in the pantry is super high quality, fresh, and it's always delicious as well. I especially appreciate that there are no/few limitations on the amount of fruits and vegetables that you can choose from the pantry. This is fantastic because healthy groceries, like fruits and vegetables, are especially important to have in our lives. They also offer a selection of baby food (at least I think they do) and they offer baby care supplies, such as a selection of baby diapers, as well! If you are ever in need, and you find yourself considering reaching out to West Valley Community Services for their assistance, in any way, please don't hesitate to do so. You will always be treated with the utmost dignity and respect there. If you are ever in need of additional resources, there are other organizations in the area who offer additional resources for free, such as toiletries. You can locate these service in the Bay Area community by searching FindHelp.org. The volunteers at West Valley Community Services are always incredibly kind, considerate, and caring, and the location for this organization, in Cupertino, California, is just beautiful, well kept, very clean, and it is located in a safe neighborhood as well. To all of the volunteers at West Valley Community Services,, thank you so much for all of your selfless and caring acts of kindness, and for taking your precious time here on this Earth in order to help all of those in need! Please know that your donations are going to people, from all walks of life, who are in dire need of your help, such as homeless individuals, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, struggling college students, domestic violence victims, struggling families, individuals suffering from debilitating illnesses such as cancer, our Veterans, many unemployed individuals, and so many more people in need! Any donations that are made to West Valley Community Services are not only changing lives of those who are in need, they are truly saving lives as well. Please know that the people who receive those donations truly appreciate your kindness and generosity. If you want to support West Valley Community Services and their efforts to help the Silicon Valley Community, just know that your love and support, via liking, sharing, reviewing, and otherwise spreading the word about these organizations, such as West Valley Community Services, via review tracking websites and social media, such as Yelp, Google, TrustPilot, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc. all make a significant impact in helping organizations, such as West Valley Community Services,, and most of us will find that we are able to contribute to the Bay Area Community in ways such as these. You can also show your support by choosing to volunteer your time, by donating funds, by donating belongings, by donating a vehicle, really any way you are able to help these individuals in need, by supporting organizations, such as West Valley Community Services, truly makes the World a better place, by improving and saving the lives of so many individuals in need! If you find that you are in need of a cell phone, or cell service for your (unlocked) cell phone, or internet service, please visit SafelinkWireless.com. This website will allow you to apply for either a free of cost cell phone, or a free of cost SIM Card (to use in your own (unlocked) cell phone), and if you are approved, either of these will come complete with a free monthly cellular service.