Our daughter has been attending RA for the past three years, and we could not be happier! Jiali, Jiawen, and all the teachers are amazing! Everyone is caring, supportive, and works with you when it comes to diet, sleep, and potty training! They foster a fun, and educational environment in which our daughter is now my personal Mandarin translator. The curriculum at RA promotes learning and social - emotional growth. Our daughter talks about social/ emotional awareness and what she learns from her experiences at RA. Finding the right daycare can be a stressful process. Our daughter does well with structure, along with needing a platform for silliness and fun. RA has been able to provide that for us. We're grateful for the relationships that we have cultivated and love RA. read more

Jiali and the teachers at Richmond Academy taught our kids everything from the time they were 1 year old. When we applied for private schools in SF, we got into 5 out of 5 schools we applied to, and I attribute how prepared our kids were for the evaluations due to Richmond Academy. If you want your kids to learn Mandarin, math, manners, and kindness -- this is the spot. When we were deciding which kindergarten to attend, we decided not to continue Mandarin immersion because, frankly, our kids would be bored waiting for other kids to catch up. You won't need to keep switching schools each year; Richmond Academy handles all levels, including daycare, TK, and PK. They let us focus on our careers, knowing our kids were taken care of 8-5pm. Even when we got off work earlier, we would leave them with Jiali, knowing they were happy and thriving at school. Lastly, while many places were closed during Covid, they didn't let us down and found a way to stay safe and open. We had no learning loss to deal with. Forever grateful for the time our children spent with Richmond Academy! read more

Richmond Academy - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've been sending both my kids to RA/RHA since 2018 because Jiali and her team have been so wonderful. This review is specifically for my daughter, who has been attending since 2022. First and foremost, the teachers are so caring and wonderful - my daughter excitedly tells me about her day everyday and she is so happy to go to school. I really appreciate the videos/photos that RA will post so we can get an update on what goes on during school. They've also been so accommodating with us and my erratic work schedule (sometimes I need to suddenly pick up early or drop off late, etc. they've been nothing but accommodating). I feel like both my kids truly thrived here through the nurture and care given by the teachers. Secondly, there's a wonderful parent community at RA which has engaged in sharing updates, set up playdates, etc. You can tell not only do the teachers/Jiali care about the students but so do the parents who send their kids here. Third, the mandarin teaching has been exceptional. In fact, sometimes they need to tell ME what a Chinese word means because they've learned so much. My daughter will be graduating to K soon and we'll truly be sad to leave this place. Would highly recommend RA 1000x over read more

If there was a 1000 out of 5 star rating, RA deserves it. The school is equal parts: 1) superhuman logistics execution 2) providing a warm, loving fun environment and 3) building an incredible educational foundation. RA provides a rare calm, bright and reassuring guiding light in the tumult of parenting. My son was at the RA location from February 2022 (16 months old) to Jan 2025 and just transitioned to the sister campus in Russian Hill (RHA). He has evolved into a thoughtful, sweet, curious (and fully potty trained!) child who delights in singing Chinese songs and teaching his mom chinese words (my mandarin is basically stuck at 1st grade level - he's definitely passing me). And all of his classmates all appear to be equally joyful. The team runs like a well-oiled machine keeping the kids healthy, engaged and genuinely in amazingly high spirits. Of course, he still has tantrums (he is after all 3) but I have noted that his ability to understand and articulate his emotions is pretty incredible for a 3 year old and I think his openness is largely due to the calming influence provided by his teachers at RA. I have just moved him to the Russian hill location for my own convenience and in the few short weeks of transition have noticed it's equally great as the RA location. The main difference is that RA has an incredible indoor playground, but RHA more than makes up for it as it's around the corner from a playground which they take full advantage of. Jia li and her team could run a nation and if I could keep him at RA for his entire education I would. read more

Our daughter attended Richmond Academy for 1.5 years starting at the age of two. We were very happy with our experience and highly recommend the school. Our child was safe and loved. We left because our daughter got into a Pre K class with the Unified School District. Touring the site, we were beyond impressed by the activities, amenities, cleanliness and obvious care and attention that Jiali (owner) has put into the school. The opportunity for our child to be immersed in a second language at such a young age was an added bonus (our family doesn't speak Mandarin). Some details: - They potty trained her (!) - There was a great balance of curriculum and fun. - Even when they're closed for Spring, Summer and Winter Breaks, you can send your kid for an additional cost (very helpful). - The school doesn't have outside space, but they walk to the Rossi playground 3-4 times a week before lunch. - They create a monthly video to recap their lessons/activities and send home crafts and school dittos. - They don't allow parents inside the school so drop off and pickup are done at the door. We will miss our time at the school, but they will always hold a special place in our hearts. We'll also consider attending their Half Day Saturday Mandarin Program when it gets up and running this Fall. read more

We sent our kiddo to Richmond Academy for 2.5 years. She had the best time, under the best care. The teachers are joyful and engaged, the space (on Geary) was lovingly designed by the School Director's husband. Jiali has just done such a magnificent job. We hope they open more locations! read more

Our daughter started at Richmond Academy in April 2022 and we have had the most wonderful, positive experience with the school. Most important, our daughter is a happy, healthy and well adjusted child and comes home smiling everyday! First, the school is thoughtfully optimized for working parents. Hours are great from 8am to 5:30pm. Food and snacks are provided - no need for parents to pack - and the school provides high quality home cooked meals and even gets my daughter to eat vegetables. There is a 2 week spring break, 1 week summer break and 2 week Christmas break - but during these times the school provides extra care for a daily fee so parents aren't scrambling to fill the gaps if they can't take time off. Second, the kids learn so much! The curriculum teaches conversational language, math, science, as well as fine and gross motor skills. Our daughter's language exploded - both English and Chinese - after starting school. She would sing new songs every couple months including ones about the planets of the solar system and the continents which shocked us! She learned how to hold a pen correctly, recognize and write all her letters and numbers and now is working on phonics. She learned how to color in the lines and use scissors. They also work on climbing, jumping and create little obstacle courses for the kids to move their bodies. They even potty trained her! One day they just told us to start sending her in underwear because she had it figured out. Third, it's extremely well run. The facility is impeccably clean - we went for our first tour right after school and there wasn't a crumb on the floor. Jiali is very organized and reminds parents about upcoming holidays and is always available for questions or feedback. She also organized a Christmas recital where the kids performed and we got to socialize with other parents which was so above and beyond. Every kid gets a birthday celebration at school too! Fourth, the teachers are incredible - warm, loving and kind. They are like family to us and our daughter looks forward to seeing them everyday. We had our second child while at this school and the teachers were so excited, spending time talking about it and prepping our daughter for his arrival. She has been really well adjusted to her new sibling and I believe it is in part due to the teachers framing and helping her understand the transition. She loves to be a helper, and has told us that the older kids help the younger ones at school and she routinely helps the teachers as well. When our daughter had eczema on her hands, Jiali gave us a special cream she knew could help and it improved so much. Last, the parent community is wonderful. We've met so many great families. There's a parent group chat and we've had play dates and park potlucks as well as just made great friends. I can't recommend the school enough, it is a hidden gem and an incredible value! Not only will your child be happy but you'll be constantly amazed at what they know. When we started researching what was required for kindergarten readiness we were so pleasantly surprised to realize Richmond Academy already took care of it all for us. Nothing for us to supplement or worry about. We love RA! read more

Finding the right preschool these days is just as difficult as finding the right university because so many elements need to be considered, especially children with special needs. Many may think preschool is just a daycare where a bunch of kids play but it is more than that. The first 5 years of childhood is so important as these are the golden years that will help shape your children's behaviors and their views of their surroundings. As parents, we hope that our children could begin their lives with positive experiences. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic and our children having multiple food allergies, we were not confident to send our younglings off to the outside world so we waited until they turned 3. As we waited, we researched and toured many preschools (Chinese immersion and regular schools) but there was always something missing that made us turned away. The biggest concern for us is finding a school teamed with empathic faculties that will care for our children with food allergies. A lot of Chinese immersion preschools we have toured serve meals from Chinese restaurants which contains common food allergens and cross contaminations. These schools could not accommodate any alternatives even though tuition includes meals and carelessly told us that our children can bring their own lunches and snacks and that teachers can separate them from other students to sit by themselves to eat alone. With disappointment, we started to give up. Luckily, one of our friends recommended RA to us because her son attended there and was very happy. Not only did the teachers took very good care of him, he also learned a lot of Chinese (which is a huge plus in our books since we want our boys to be exposed to their Chinese roots). Without hesitation, we toured and met with founder Ms. JiaLi and her lovely husband Randy who designed the school's interior. Her passion for early childhood education and the general wellbeing of children touched us. She was still very enthusiastic about ECE despite being in the industry for many years. She reassured us that all her teachers are trained on CPR and Epi-Pen administration and was very open about sharing how they have handled past incidents with children that needed Epi-pen. Just as we thought this couldn't get any better, Ms.JiaLi told us she cooks all hot meals on site everyday with all children's allergies in mind AND her school does not require student to be potty-trained to attend. When we were told that, I was jumping in joy (in my head of course..) because as first time parents and small business owners, we don't have the experience nor do we have the time and having professionals do potty-training and providing safe meals gave us a mental relief. With the level of honesty, passion and knowledge Ms.JiaLi presented, we quickly decided to send our boys to RA. When our boys first started school, they did cry for about a week due to separation from mommy during the day and due to the new routines they had to adapt. But that quickly subsided with teacher Mei, teacher Jane, teacher Yannie and teacher Kathy all working as a team to comfort them. As time passed, our boys grew to love their teachers so much that when we drop them off, they walk in confidently without turning their heads and during pick up, they come out running with huge smiles and voluntarily hugging their teachers goodbye. And recently, our boys cried at home saying they miss their teacher due to her absence on maternity leave. That is when we know we made the right choice! One very impressive point I need to bring up is all their teachers (no matter which class) work very closely with each other and with Ms.JiaLi and Director Jojo to ensure clear communications regarding their students. You may wonder how do we know?.. because all the teachers seem to know our boys well when we don't even know who some the teachers are. The teachers are very approachable and openminded when we have questions or concerns; which they do solve immediately and efficiently. Curriculum is tailored according to each student's needs and when we expressed to director Jojo that our children will be taking English assessments for kindergarten, right away director Jojo incorporated some English Kindergarten prep materials into their lessons and we were astound that she took what we said into consideration. Recently, it seems she have added multiplication worksheets (without us asking) for our boys to do to ensure they are academically challenged and not get bored learning the same materials repeatedly. Fast forward to now, our boys have been in RA for over 1 year and we are back to searching for schools again but this time it's for elementary school. It has been a frustrating process because the level and standard of care, education, and especially the teachers that RA provides is very hard to match up. Nevertheless, we truly appreciate what RA has done for our boys and would recommend them to anyone looking for a quality preschool. read more

Our daughter has been attending Richmond Academy for almost 2 years and I cannot recommend the school enough. We absolutely LOVE Jiali, Jane, Yannie and all the teachers and staff at the center. Our daughter's Chinese had improved significantly since she joined. I still cannot believe that at the age of 5, she can write and comfortably read books and poems. She also love to perform all the dances she learn in school. She always love to go to school, and had made tons of friends while she was there. Now that she has graduated from the school, we're quite nervous whether we can help her maintain her Chinese as Richmond Academy had set such a high bar! I'm a lifetime fan of the school and would recommend all our friends to go! read more

A brilliant, friendly and stress free school for us! Both our kids are RA students, here's what we love about the school (Geary): -Catered, healthy lunches and snacks -Cleanliness -Class structure and exposure to maths and language (addition and subtraction at 4 and reading/writing/speaking Chinese Mandarin!) -Creative arts and craft projects -Wonderful custom monthly update videos -Ability to return to school for ad hoc sessions if needed -Friendly teachers and ease of communication -Drop off/pick up is simple and hassle free. read more

We've been coming to Richmond Academy (RA) now for about 4 years. I have two kids, one of which joined on 10th & Geary when they had just started in the Richmond. My eldest has now graduated from RA, but still joins as the current school has a lot of days off (inservice/parent teacher conf). My youngest is still attending and loves it there. Jiali, the owner, has always been amazing and meticulous. Her & her team LOVE kids and knows how to handle them 100%. They do so many activities from arts, dancing, learning, and playing that it keeps the kids busy and focused. The most important this is that the kids love going to school & they're learning tons! My two kids have excelled in Chinese, speaking it at home & at school. This has prepped the oldest in kindergarten at an immersion school very well. They are able to read a significant amount of words (as well as fluently speaking it), impressing even the Chinese kindergarten teacher. RA really allows kids to feel confident speaking a 2nd language, which is what we wanted! A super PLUS was that RA potty trains the kids! One day, the teachers just asked us to buy training underwear, and 2 weeks later, they gave us back all the diapers & said it wasn't needed! All the meals are covered, so you don't need to prep and pack anything! We don't always get visibility to what they eat in school, but from what we hear from the kids, its pretty balanced (i.e. bread, pasta, soup (lots of soup), apples, oranges, milk, etc). They also have this amazing wooden indoor playground and the kids love it! When the weather is nice outside, they go to a nearby playground! read more

Richmond Academy is a true hidden gem. If you're looking at preschools, regardless Mandarin immersion or not, it would be amiss if you didn't give Richmond Academy a ring. We started attending Richmond Academy when my daughter was 2.5 yrs old, she is now 5 yrs old. My daughter absolutely adores this school, the principal, and the teachers. The Chinese-immersion elementary schools we've applied to praise Richmond Academy for the students' advanced Mandarin reading, speaking and writing competency, as well as their math proficiency and emotionally balanced nature (reflecting the right amount of attention and care). And I've heard that Richmond Academy has been evaluated by SF schools and regarded as an ideal model to strive for. The commitment, care, love and adoration that Principal Jiali invests into the facility, its teachers, and students is unrivaled. I'm in awe by how thoughtfully crafted the mural walls are with colorful, hand-carved forest animal wood panels, or the massive indoor play room which has two solidly crafted indoor slides and a wood cabin -- ALL completely self-built/painted/designed by the principle and her family. You really have to see it to believe it - these people really really love the kids and love what they do. The meals are organic, home cooked, highly nutritious. When you talk to the Jiali, she'll tell you that the most important thing is for children to have healthy and enjoyable meals so that their brain can properly light up with productive energy to convert to learning enjoyment and play. They were also open through the pandemic, taking careful measures on cleanliness, masking and sanitization. Additionally constant communication with Jiali and parents were integral to all of us surviving it together. I can't recommend this school enough! Thank you Richmond Academy! read more

We are very happy with the Richmond Academy. Our child gets both academic learning in Mandarin, English alphabetic work, plus arts and crafts time. His interest in numbers, letters, and Chinese characters has so much to do with the teaching he gets from the Richmond Academy. The handwriting exercises in his weekly packets enabled him to be able to write his name without much assistance from us. Our child has a good connection with his teacher and likes her very much. The classrooms are always clean, well organized, and secure. The safety measures and COVID strategies work well. In the beginning our child's toilet training made a huge leap once he started at school and his social skills and interactions with people are progressing more than if he was at home. The staff are very engaged, responsive and have a lot of energy. As parents we appreciate that a full lunch and breakfast snacks are part of his school day program. At pick up time he's always ready and I feel safe with the staff that he's looked after well. Most importantly our child enjoys learning and playing at school. He looks forward to going to school everyday. read more

We highly recommend this Mandarin immersion preschool for families seeking a nurturing and enriching environment for their children. We had two kids attend the school for a combined five years. We've been at the old locations both in Russian Hill and in Richmond, as well as spending the last year at the new bigger center on Geary street in Richmond. We also kept using it as an after-school program a couple of days a week when they kids started kindergarten. Despite our family not being Mandarin-speaking, our children have been able to learn and retain their Mandarin language skills, and they now understand and can converse in Mandarin. The teachers at this school are dedicated and truly care about the kids. Our children loved their teachers and kept talking about their favorite "Lǎoshī". The community of parents is also welcoming, and we have maintained several connections even after our kids have moved on. In addition to Chinese language practice, the children engage in a variety of fun activities such as play, arts, and dance, which we have appreciated. Our kids always had positive experiences to share with us about their time at the school, and we feel that they were more than adequately prepared for kindergarten. Another convenient aspects of this preschool is that the kids receive home-cooked, nutritious food, which meant we never had to pack any food or snacks. Overall, we had a great experience at this preschool and would highly recommend it to others. The staff deserves credit for providing a wonderful environment for children to learn, play, and grow. read more

What can I say? One of the best decisions I have made for my son was to have him go to Richmond Academy. My son started coming here during the pandemic, it was a was a really hard decision to make but I knew my son was in good hands as soon as I visited and met Jiali. Jiali and the rest of her staff are amazing! They are caring and loving. My son flourished since starting Richmond Academy. He's learned so much from being potty trained and teaching other friends how to speak Mandarin (Mandarin isnt't spoken at home). It is bittersweet that my son is now old enough to start Pre-K and my heart hurts so much because not only me, but my son will miss everyone at Richmond Academy. We appreciate everything Richmond Academy has done! read more

My son attended Richmond Academy form September 2019 - March 2020 (age 1yr 9mo at the start of his time there). When COVID hit, we pulled him out of preschool and moved away from San Francisco. THE HARDEST PART of leaving SF was leaving Richmond Academy- Jiali, Jiawen, and Kathy were INCREDIBLE teachers. My son LOVED school and even now (Dec 2020) asks to see pictures of when he was at school and talks about his teachers. We have yet to find any preschool that can compare. My son NEVER got sick after starting preschool, and that is completely due to the school being SO CLEAN. I've posted a bunch of pictures of my son (so as to not post pictures of other children). They baked a cake for his birthday, sent home fun arts and crafts every day, played outside and fed him delicious meals! And he learned a ton of Chinese!! Worth the money!! read more

Richmond Academy - They baked a cake for my sons birthday and threw him a school birthday party! - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We absolutely love Richmond Academy and highly recommend if you are looking for a preschool. The teachers are AMAZING. They genuinely care about the children. We always hear wonderful stories from our daughter about how much fun she had at school - dancing, singing, arts and craft, story time, cooking (and the list goes on). They provide 2 meals and 2 snacks a day. This makes it so easy for us, as we rarely have to prep food for our daughter throughout the week. Not to mention their meals are nutritious - there is always protein, veggie, carb and soup. They recently moved to a larger facility on Geary, with lots of functional and play areas. If you are curious, we suggest you take a tour. They also regularly take the children out to Rossi playground (which is right around the corner) for outdoor activities. We are so thankful to have our daughter at RA! read more

Richmond Academy is just such a wonderful preschool with so much stuff to do for the kiddos and even an indoor playground! The whole facility is very clean and all the teachers are so sweet and nice. My toddler loves it there but too bad we had to switch schools for her due to my commute from work, but I'm very inclined to suck it up and just deal with the commute and send her back because I just really love the school! You have to tour it to understand how amazing this facility is, highly recommend!! read more

I've had 3 kids attend Richmond Academy and can whole heartily attest to the wonderful program and people here. Jiali (the founder), Jiawan and all teachers are very nurturing and have amazing teaching skills. My kids were constantly singing mandarin songs and reciting poetry at home. I couldn't even get them to recite some of the easiest things I was teaching them in english at home yet they were reading mandarin so confidently. I was so shocked I tested them to make sure it wasn't all memorization. They could really recognize the characters. WOW Parents, they potty train! Need I say more? They do a super job in this area and the new facility has the best kid's restroom space I've ever seen. A few weeks of potty training was all it took them and I was elated the day they returned my diapers. LOL I must also mention they provide lunch and snacks for the kids. The lunch is nutritious and homemade in house. My kids always spoke positively about the lunch and I very often hear soups and veggies included which made this mama very happy. I can't express enough how nurturing the teachers are and the safe environment they provide.  All are so warm and lovely that the kids feel secure and excited to go to school.  Hours are very flex, esp for working folks considering they open early and close late. During vacation breaks, the school helps out parents to provide optional school days for an additional fee. This was very convenient vs finding separate care. The first time I toured RA and met Jiali, I knew in my heart of hearts this is where the kids need to go to school. Truth is I forfeited my deposit I placed elsewhere and secured my twins' spot at RA right away. Best decision I made for them. Even if you are touring around, just give RA a chance and I'm confident you'll love the space and school as much as we have. FYI I'm so envious of the play structure Randy, the handy husband built. You'll see all all the dedication and heart they put in the school and kids. RA is a gem and I'm grateful I found this school for my children. read more

My son has attended Richmond Academy for over 6 months and unfortunately has to move on to an English speaking preschool (we speak Mandarin only at home). We will tremendously miss Jiali, Kathy, JoJo, all the teachers and staff there! My son only cried shortly on his very first day of school, since then was always so happy to go to school, coming back home with a smile on his face. He has made huge improvements including being fully potty trained by two and half. He would tell me what songs they sang at school and what dances they've learned. We've collected all his art works from school and now it's an art wall in our home! Thank you for everything you have done, Richmond Academy! read more

I can't say enough about how happy our family is here! Especially our daughter. Where do I even begin??? I waited at least 1 year on the waitlist and it was worth it. The way I found out about RA was through Yelp and visited the Sister school Russian Hill Academy "RHA". This was before they had RA open. I was hesitant to make the drive to RA Because we live next to RHA but it's been worth it and I don't ever complain! The drive is the last thing I think about. We had our hearts set on Mandarin Immersion and I researched several places but knew immediately that this was THE school for our daughter even before doing the tour. Aside from Mandarin lessons, the structure, attention to cleanliness, outdoor play, and promotion of independence are a few things that attracted me to the program. The tuition is hard to swallow but not ridiculous like other places I researched for this caliber of a program. And the hours are 8-6! But even before I had pricing details, I wanted our daughter enrolled. Ahhh and YOU GET 3 meals w them. Yeah I don't even need to worry about food!!!! Ok now to the day to day. The school is well kept! Clean clean clean. The children are taught to respect their surroundings, toys, and to clean up after themselves. They even are potty trained! Jiali and her team did 95% of the PT for me and I am so thankful. One day she told me to bring undies and that was pretty much when I realized our daughter was PT. Jiali guided us with a few tips when we picked our daughter up but we didn't have to worry or do too much! People don't believe me when I tell them this. Yes. And I knew this was going to happen for me Bc other parents in the RHA program told me so. I sat back and waited to see it happen and it DID. My daughter was PT at 2.5 yo. My daughter loves going to school. She's happy, making friends and above all- learning a tremendous amount. Not to mention making art every day. The children are well behaved and delightful. I don't know what Jiali and her team do but they are wonderful with the kids. Ok this review is getting out of control. I'll stop now and let you go see it for yourself. I can't wait to have another baby to send here. read more

I agree with all the 5 star reviews for this school particularly with the comment about this school being the best kept mandarin immersion program in SF and possibly in the Bay Area. This is also the first time I've ever left a review on any social media platform but felt compelled to do so for Richmond Academy because of how much they have nurtured my daughter. The teachers are very experienced, thoughtful and have put in a lot of time to design the daily activities to help each kid build a strong foundation for every aspect of being a well rounded individual. As a working mom I especially appreciated the practical aspects of the program as the school provided a well balanced lunch and dinner. And sometimes during major holidays when other schools are closed for the entire week offered camps that daughter can attend. read more

What can I possibly add that hasn't already been said in the previous (well deserved) glowing reviews? It's all true and yet you still won't believe your eyes when you tour the school -- it is more incredible than you could ever hope for. I feel so lucky to have found RA, and I don't say this lightly. I tried many different classes/programs with my son and toured maybe 15+ schools (seriously) and NOTHING compares to RA. The space is bright and clean(!), the kids are fed delicious and nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch, and early supper ALL INCLUDED in the tuition!!), low teacher:student ratio (and low total number of students -- don't be fooled by others' low ratios when they have 24-30 kids running around. It's total chaos despite the low ratio), the children engage in daily physical and mental exercise in a FUN and SUPPORTIVE environment, but most importantly, each child is so so *LOVED*. I am admittedly very "type A" and neurotic about my child's care, but every morning when I drop off my son at RA, I never have anything to worry about. The director is the parent I aspire to be for my child -- he is honestly better off under her meticulous and loving care (how lucky am I to find a caregiver I can say that about?!). I trust her more than the grandparents. For those moms of kids who are terrible sleepers and schedule around naptimes, do you know what Jiali said to me, unprompted, at our first meeting? "Naps are important for children's development". Omg, just take all my money now, Jiali!! She spoke straight to my heart! More incredibly, my child slept over an hour the very first day he was there! That may sound unimpressive to some of you, but with my child, it's the equivalent of a picky eater eating a bowl of broccoli. I couldn't believe my eyes. I could rave about the curriculum (ie my 3.5 yr old son can READ an entire storybook in MANDARIN and they've discovered his love/obsession with numbers so he's doing MATH??!!) but while it's all amazing, it's low on my priority for what I want for my child. My goal is for my kid to be loved and be safe, have fun, enjoy school, develop social skills, and learn to be a kind and considerate person and RA exceeds all these goals and more. Jiali has found her true calling in life teaching children. It is so special to watch her and her wonderful teachers nurture and develop these little humans. They are helping to shape my child's future and I'll be forever grateful for the amazing foundation RA is providing him for the rest of his life. Ok, I know I already wrote an entire essay but I just wanted to add one more amazing thing (can you tell how much I love Jiali and her teachers?!): she throws an annual holiday party WITH HER OWN MONEY (no PTA!) and it includes food and CHILDCARE so the parents can relax and mingle. And then she gives EACH STUDENT a present. But wait, there's more. SHE EVEN BUYS GIFTS FOR THEIR SIBLINGS even though they're not her students!! Honestly, stop reading this and just get on her waitlist. read more

Jiali and her teachers are the BEST!! A very warm, loving, and fun environment. Our daughter learned SO much and was always SO happy. It is a beautiful and clean facility. The teachers truly care about the kids. Would absolutely recommend this preschool! read more

We are so satisfied with this awesome mandarin teaching pre-school. ALL the teachers are loving, caring and good at communicating with the kids and the parents. We always trust the school with the activities, the in class assignments, the food and drinks... My son NEVER gets sick once from eating bad food from school. Before attending pre-school, my son was a bit quiet and lonely and did not know how to communicate, while right now, my son was totally a different boy- he knows to be polite, communicate with us about everything of his day, offer us help for chores and of course making a lot of friends. The art and drawings he has done in school was getting better and better every month. Me and my husband were so happy and relived we finally picked an AWESOME school for our boy. read more

Such a wonderful school! Both our kids have been at Richmond academy since before they were 2 (now ages 3.5 and 5.5) and have loved it. They come home full of smiles and cute songs and funny stories about their friends. When I first toured Richmond Academy, I was immediately struck by how warm the environment was, and how attentive the teachers were to the children. The teachers are kind and loving, but also excellent instructors. Our kids have learned good habits--washing their hands, putting away their shoes--while also gaining social skills and learning a LOT of Mandarin. It's not just colors and counting. They learn to recognize characters, to talk and reason in Mandarin. Our older child can read stories in Chinese at this point. It's super impressive! Because of the strength of RA's Mandarin program, we did not put our older child in Mandarin immersion elementary school. In our experience, the instruction at RA is stronger and she can maintain her fluency in RA's after school program without locking us into only 2 private school choices (i.e., CAIS and PKS). As other reviewers have said, the school director Jiali makes the whole thing work. She is so energetic and loves kids. She knows each child and is constantly going above and beyond to enrich the students' experience. Everything else --the beautiful interior of the school, the outings to nearby parks and libraries, the cake they make for each kid on their birthday (with the ridiculously adorable birthday hat), the daily arts and crafts, the fact that they make 2 full meals and snacks each day--has been covered in the other reviews. It's all true. We feel so lucky to be part of this community! read more

We believe Richmond Academy is a diamond in the daycares in the area, and is in the rare elite among mandarin immersion. The director is one in a million. The kids demonstrate phenomenal learning outcomes, unparalleled in my opinion even when compared to early grade levels of mandarin immersion elementary schools like Presidio Knolls or CAIS. The kids also clearly love the teachers and their day to day activities. First of all, the space is the cleanest and most organized of all facilities I've toured. There is not a smudge to be found anywhere (how is that possible when you have 6 toddlers around?), and all her furniture and toys are brand new. They eat nutritious meals at lunch, and again at supper just before pick up time, so that you don't really need to feed them again after they get home. My daughter has specifically told me about meals consisting of pasta and veggies (she is obsessed with the pasta shell shapes), tomato salad (she plays in her toy kitchen and pretends to make this), and occasionally will tell me that she ate two whole bowls of rice or noodles that day. They eat a mid-morning snack which is really more like a big breakfast, as I've seen photos of them making big waffles and then grinning as they ate them up. Because I know she's eating well at school, I've had the luxury of not stressing anymore about her picky eating or food intake in the mornings when I'm trying to get out the door, or evenings when I've come back from a long day at work. The activities are quite amazing, and I haven't seen just the level of thought and prep and follow through on these at any other preschool. For example, from 2 years old, kids are sitting in front of a peg board with tiny holes and using a steady hand to insert pegs of different colors to outline the board or create a shape. The director explained that this is a way to develop strength and coordination in their fingers, which is usually an overlooked skill among toddler fine motor development. It will help with their ability to write and proper pencil grasp, or allow them to make more intricate shapes with playdough, or other fine arts and crafts work down the line. Even in montessori schools, where the educational activities are well thought out, I don't think there is as much guiding and instructing as we see here (which is hard work on the teachers!). That in turn results in the great learning outcomes that come so much broader and deeper, and earlier in their development. The director has already operated one location for a number of years that is now always in high demand (Russian Hill Academy). She opened this second location half a year ago. I can say with 100% certainty that unlike other directors who expand their schools in an underlying goal to maximize profits, she's doing this for her love of the field of early childhood development and genuine love of kids. She goes above and beyond in accountability and giving to the families, in a way that I haven't seen at other schools - working early mornings and late nights as well as weekends to conference with her teachers and develop curriculum, shuttling between her two locations so that she can always be present at both within one day, spending her own money to create experiences for the parents, like holding twice yearly parties where she provides a large amount of food, buys individual gifts for each student and their siblings, and provides free child care for half a day while the parents get to know each other. The kids learn at an early age to brush their teeth after each meal, and put away toys and belongings in an organized way. The school cares about setting the right tone and mood for the kids, so there is usually music in the background, songs in either mandarin or english. When it's naptime, they play soft and slow music. When it's activity time, they play upbeat music. I have heard that the admissions staff at elementary schools have toured and been wide-eyed at the children's performances just like the parents have been. The director gets asked every visitor day, how she achieves the outcomes the guests are witnessing. Schools like CAIS and Hamlin have even approached her to ask her to teach classes at their campuses. Some parents even requested to hire her for weekend dance lessons for their toddlers. She stays firmly focused on her own school and her own kids though. The tuition is comparable to other high quality preschools in the city, but actually not the most expensive among mandarin immersion programs that we've evaluated. And the hours are longer (8am to 6pm), nutrition seems more highly prioritized, and certainly the learning outcomes are phenomenal. When we toured other preschools, there was always a sense that money was a driver or limitations on care could be expected to some degree. Here, we don't get the feeling that there is a limit to the love and care and quality of teaching that the children receive. read more

This is the best kept secret among the Mandarin immersion preschools in SF. In fact, there is no better mandarin immersion program in the entire bay area, in my opinion. I've toured, read the reviews of, and interviewed the parents in the top mandarin immersion preschools and Jiali's program is head and shoulders above the rest. We stayed for a year on the waitlist, and even switched schools when our spot finally become available. Now that my daughter has attended for the past 8 months, we are more convinced than ever that this is the best place she could be. She is incredibly happy at school, loves her 3 teachers Cathy, Jiawen, and Jiali (the director, who we think is amazing - more on her later), and talks incessantly about them and her intimate class of 6 other toddlers. My daughter is not yet 3 years old, but now can read about 10 mandarin characters, name all her ABCs, all major colors and shapes, and count to 50 in mandarin and english. She can write the digits 0 to 9 on her own, uses proper pencil grip, and to top it off, loves loves loves doing it! Jiali is all about preparation, groundwork, foundations for learning. For example, getting the toddler to learn to grip the pencil properly and produce beautifully written numbers was a deliberate and guided learning process that we witness over months - starting with Jiali's brilliant technique of making them tear paper with thumb and index finger to strengthen the individual finger muscles in prep for writing. My daughter then started showing us pages of tracing paper where she'd been guided by the teachers to trace outlines of numbers, then independently-traced but sloppy initial figures, and now well-controlled and steady handwriting of her own. To this day, I find that I can easily lose myself in conversation with Jiali when she talks about her reasoning, methods, and vision, and sometimes an hour of time could unknowingly pass as she passionately describes her experience. The fact that she still involves herself deeply in the day to day teaching is a testament of how much she loves kids, loves teaching, and takes pride and accountability in her work. The toddlers put on performances every quarter, whether for visitor tours, the parents, or graduation. My daughter can sing and dance from memory about 6 different mandarin songs, choreographed to simple dance moves that Jiali created to help them develop better sense of body movement: some involve intricate hand gestures, others involve coordination of the left and right feet or arms, and still others involve funky face, head, and shoulder expressions. There is a wow factor that hits me every time I see the students perform. It's hard enough to get 6 toddlers (whose average age I think is about 2.75) to do anything you want them to, let alone perform for a crowd of adults in such synchronized, deliberate, and confident fashion. There is a huge backyard, newly renovated, with beautiful patio flooring over a gently sloping gradient, as well as garden area where the toddlers have planted veggies that they harvest and bring home. Arts and crafts are also big, as we see a new piece of artwork being brought home every day. All three meals, including snacks in between, are provided, which is a huge plus. From the pictures, it looks like they eat big portions of balanced meals involving rice or noodles mixed with carrots, peas, tomatoes, and/or other great veggies. My daughter doesn't even need to eat much dinner at night because they always feed a huge meal at 4:30pm (supper time). She has also mentioned getting strawberry smoothies for fiber (when she didn't poop well), as well as chocolate ice cream in their big backyard on nice sunny days. Jiali also provides nap mats and does the laundry herself. My feeling is that Jiali empathize with working parents and tries really hard to avoid burdening parents with avoidable chores. Twice a year (during the holidays, and during graduation time), she buys every child an individual gift, and throws a party (providing copious amounts of food too) for all the families to get together, including providing child care in a separate space while the parents socialize for several hours. Above all, the toddlers are visibly boisterous, happy, and they would do anything for their teachers. Jiali has built a prior location (Russian Hill Academy) into the amazing school that attracted us in the first place, and now is on to her second (Richmond Academy). Frankly this new school opening was the only way we could have gotten off the waitlist and into her highly sought after program within a year's time. We love Jiali, the teachers, the school, the curriculum, the nutritious food, and the detail-oriented care they provide. I think this school has changed my daughter's life in an incredibly wonderful way! read more

My daughter has been attending Richmond Academy for 5 months and loves it just as much. The Teachers are caring and keep her busy.This school has taught our daughter motor development. Mandarin chinese, artwork, singing&dancing etc. She comes home ready to show us the things she's learned everyday. I would highly recommend Richmond Academy to any parent looking for a safe fun loving environment for their child :) read more

My child has been going for only 6 months but she is already reading characters and understanding so much Chinese. They teach through songs and games so the kids don't even know they are learning. And the kids love it! The student teacher ratio is low, the teachers are truly passionate and caring, and the space is beautifully decorated with crafts and artwork. Truly an amazing gem of a preschool! read more

My husband and I went to an open house at Russian Hill Academy and were very impressed with what we saw - happy, engaged children, teachers dedicated to teaching (as opposed to only letting children "play"), and a cheerful and positive environment. Earlier this year, our son got into Presidio Knolls, but when Jiali let us know that we had also secured a spot at her newly-opened second location in the Inner Richmond, there was absolutely no contest! We are extremely happy with our decision. Our son has been at Richmond Academy for about 4 months, and his Mandarin has improved immeasurably - we have a bilingual household, and while he understood Mandarin, he didn't reply in Mandarin until he went to Richmond Academy. Now, he speaks to the Mandarin-speaking parent exclusively in Mandarin! His vocabulary has exploded, and he sings several Mandarin songs. He comes home with amazing artwork, and can describe them in detail. More importantly, he really looks forward to going to preschool, and speaks very fondly and enthusiastically of his teachers and little friends. He tells us how much he likes Teachers Jiawen, Kathy and Jiali. We can see why, as they are wonderfully affectionate and kind. We are so grateful to them for providing a warm, loving and stimulating environment for our little one! Absolutely 5 stars (I'd give them 50 if I could...) read more

I do not have enough words to express how much I love Richmond Academy! My son started there shortly after he turned 3 and he will be graduating this June go to kindergarten. The teachers are incredible! My son's primary teacher is Jiawen and she is fantastic, with just the right balance of warmth and structure that he needs. And he has learned so much from her! He is doing math at age 4 and proudly shows off his written work and artwork when I pick him up at the end of the day. Jiawen also sends home videos of my son reading, writing, speaking, and dancing. Our family is of European descent and nobody in our family speaks Mandarin, but my son is now a fluent speaker and can also read and write Chinese characters. Most importantly, my son loves going to school everyday. He has developed close friendships and is happy about learning. I am so grateful to the director, Jiali, and the teachers at RA for having such a positive impact on my son's early life. I truly believe that sending my son to RA was one of the best decisions I have made as a parent. read more