I first heard about Sentence Center years ago, when my child was still too young to join the program. When I called to inquire, Chino spent so much time talking with me and sharing helpful information about how to help my child develop a love for reading, even though we weren't able to join the program yet. When my child was old enough to join, I was really excited but also worried that he might not participate, since writing and speaking in group settings had been challenging for him at school. Unexpectedly, he has participated well in the class since the very first day, thanks to his exceptional teacher, Ms. Margaret, who has been so patient and has a wonderful way of drawing him out of his shell. After just two months at Sentence Center and now starting the new school year, he came home today and told us that writing was very easy for him at school. It was really exciting to hear that and to see how much he has already grown through this program! Every teacher who has taught my child has been exceptional, patient, and truly talented at working with kids. They have helped him learn how to come up with ideas, turn those ideas into writing, and share his work with the class. I highly recommend this program, which has helped my child in so many ways beyond writing, including public speaking, confidence, and creativity. I am so grateful to Chino and his team! read more

My son has been taking writing classes with Sentence Center for 1.5 years, and they taught him to how to organize his thoughts clearly and confidently in his writing. All the instructors are very attentive, caring, encouraging, and gives meaningful feedback during class and after every assignment. The topics are fun, engaging, and really get the kids thinking. My son truly enjoyed the classes, and I love hearing him read his work out loud. I honestly learned so much more about him through his writing and high recommend Sentence Center! read more

My son (8th grade) has done this camp two years in a row and both times has had a great experience. Chino and his team are fantastic. They make an effort to get to know each kid and their interests. They make the online format fun, including some chatter about personal interests during the zooms. They also reach out to parents and offer positive and constructive feedback about each child's writing. I was initially looking for an in-person camp but I think the zoom format actually works well for a writing camp. Each day has a specific theme and each participant has to read out their essay to the class. I believe my son's writing skills and confidence has grown due to this camp. We will definitely do it again! read more

We love the Sentence Center! My daughter started there in 3rd grade, and her writing skills have improved tremendously since then. At the time, she often struggled with what to write and how to complete her assignments. After enrolling in their writing classes, she improved not only in her writing but also in her critical thinking skills. Now she can organize her ideas, start writing with confidence, and complete her assignments independently. We are very grateful for the support and guidance from the Sentence Center! read more

Just as with math, we've found that writing is a skill that needs steady practice. My son has been attending Sentence Center for more than two years, and the classes still challenge him. Every essay comes back with thoughtful, detailed feedback that helps him grow. He's also had the opportunity to learn from several teachers, and he has genuinely enjoyed his experience with every one of them. read more

Our daughter (going into 5th grade) did a week-long summer intensive class with Mr Chino and had an absolutely wonderful experience. We didn't go in with any specific expectations for the class, but came away extremely impressed and grateful. Now, I'll preface this by saying that our daughter is not naturally inclined to writing so we really just want her to have opportunities to practice. Lo and behold, after the first class, she was practically beaming when she was recounting the class to us. She really enjoyed the format of the classes - starting with a short game, then talking about a topic, writing, and getting live feedback. Although it is not her favorite thing to do in general, we do appreciate that all the kids share their writing at the end of each day as this is a really valuable opportunity to build confidence and comfort with public speaking. We really wish our schedule would allow her to take more classes with Sentence Center, but I suppose it'll have to wait until we can squeeze it in. If you are on the fence about starting a writing class for your kid(s), I would encourage you to just give it a shot. Chino and his team are everything you'd want from a group working with kids - enthusiastic, energetic, positive, and encouraging while still imparting knowledge and information. read more

Chino and team do a great job at Sentence Center. Two of my kids have gone through Sentence Center -- both in private schools. The teaching has been superb. My oldest son is starting his first year at St. Francis. I'm an attorney and I can honestly say that both kids have become better writers because of Sentence Center. Though we used to attend in-person, we've been more than happy with the virtual classes and how they've adapted the curriculum to COVID restrictions. They do peer reviews which is a great way to teach writing and to create long-lasting friendships. read more

We have been doing this for almost a year. My kids love it. I will leave it all up to you to read my daughter's (9 yrs old in the 4th grade) latest piece on the program. Writing is her passion and Sentence Center takes her on an amazing journey! Thank you Margaret and Chino! Sentence Center: The Amazing Program by I. P. I'm glad that I have stumbled across an amazing writing program. Something I feel like I owe something to. Something people should try out and learn the joy of writing. Sentence Center. Whenever I get to the Zoom meeting, I can't help but feel normal when my teachers welcome me. Every week, It's soothing and kind. The teachers at my old summer camps and real school never do that. Sentence Center always asks me how my day's going or how my week was. They ask everyone in the class to make it fair. Sometimes, I'm really interested in where I can go next and this is the perfect class for me to also get some recommendations from the other students. But mostly, I'm surprised at how kind and fair the teachers are. They always greet me politely, and whenever someone gets anything wrong, they would never say, "That's wrong." whoo, what a different way to describe them entirely. "It's alright, try again! Everyone makes mistakes!" or something like that, it's actually my first time being in any kind of program with teachers like that. Also, Sentence Center lets you play educational and word games to stretch your brain for the essay. My personal favorites are Wordle and Alphabears. But I'm pretty sure everyone has their own favorite-- or maybe they can't even remember because they're so many to choose from! The games can start off confusing, but as the teachers keep going, it gets clearer and nicer. I really don't think I'll ever feel the same way when I play educational games at Sentence Center between any kind of program or school! All of them are fun and everyone enjoys it, even if it's educated, it gets very silly and creative which is exactly what I like! Fiction, then Nonfiction, is my absolute favorite style of writing. Writing an essay. Every single time, the teacher makes sure that we do one each time, Fiction, Opinion and many interesting other text types. Sentence Center also makes sure to teach you new words every day and read aloud an essay the other teachers had made to show the kids what the main topic is. They also include really cool challenges that are not as boring and strict as real challenges, but they're optional and fun to do. The adults also make sure to highlight each lesson with any student from Sentence Center who has the best paragraph from an essay, they share it out to all of the classes. (There are Monday classes, Thursday Classes, Wednesday classes and more!) It's really awesome how much pride you can overfill with when you see your writing and name on the screen! Sentence Center is a great program with many kind teachers, amazing educated games and time writing essays! The End I.P. read more

Our daughter has been with Sentence Center for close to half a year and we're very happy with the progress that she has made in writing and communication. The online format is very effective and time efficient. Not only that the word games and writing discussion can be easily shared on the computer screen, but also that you can check on your kid to see how he or she has been tracking in class. Not to mention we won't have to drive her back and forth for a one-hour class. Our daughter's teacher Ms Margaret is a well-qualified writer and she makes learning fun. I can tell all the kids love her. They have a good class size (less than 10 per class) and she makes sure that every student has the opportunity to speak up and read out their writing in class. She is also very responsive to our email questions and provides very helpful comments on our daughter's writing assignments. They have a great teaching approach and I highly recommend Sentence Center. read more

I could not be happier with this program! My son is thriving with the help of Sentence Center! His 5th grade teacher has said he has made "Vast" progress since joining this program that that was only 1.5 months in! Their entire staff is so professional, responsive, caring and really loves what they do! They make the class fun and engaging. I would highly recommend Sentence Center! read more

My daughter had a great experience in the Sentence Structure's week long summer program. In just a short time, it gave her a more structured way to approach her writing - clearly expressing and supporting her points - and seems a lot more confident with her approach. Chino did a great job keeping the online format engaging + interactive. She ended up signing for a second session after completing the first. read more

My son used to hate writing- any school assignments that required writing sentences, paragraphs, or essays would leave him anxious and frustrated, and I was having a hard time figuring out how to help him. A friend of mine recommended Sentence Center to me, and I am so glad that she did. The class starts with open dialogue and fun word games to get the kids in the mood to describe and articulate things going on in their world. The essay topics are typically fun and engaging, and it allows the students to write in an environment that not intimidating or stressful. My son has transitioned from struggling to write a couple of sentences on paper to willingly volunteering to write essays at school. Over the past year, his confidence in his own writing skills has grown tremendously as a result of his time spent in this program, and his anxiety levels over writing assignments has gone down dramatically. He actually told me, "I don't mind writing essays now, mom- because now I know how to write them." If you are dealing with a reluctant or challenged writer, I cannot think of a better program to recommend. Thank you, Sentence Center! read more

Sentence Center has been amazing for my two boys. The teachers are experienced and keep my boys engaged. Both my boys have been doing Sentence Center for the last year and are way ahead of their own grade level. I highly suggest this weekly class! My boys look forward to it and have made leaps and bounds with their writing. read more

Ms. Margaret and the Sentence Center team are exceptional. Our son has thrived in the sessions, and he has become a much more confident writer. Ms. Margaret is an engaging teacher and keeps the kids having fun. She also provides helpful guidance in between classes. Sincere 5 stars for Sentence Center! read more

My son, Aron, is in 8th grade and has been with Sentence Center for almost 2 years. Aron loves to read a lot. However, writing has always been a struggle for him since young age. As second language learners, we both struggled with writing. When Aron began attending Sentence Center zoom class, he constantly was unmotivated, frustrated that his grandmother signed him up for this 90 minute long class on zoom. He did not want to participate and constantly got called out because he was not paying attention. In addition, it was a huge struggled for him after class to sit and finish his essay. Sentence Center and their staff like Mr. Chino have changed Aron's life. Aron began not even knowing how to write a complete sentence. He did not understand that there are different types of writing and that each paragraph needed 3-5 sentences. I will never forget him telling me "I wrote 2 sentences mom, isn't that good enough." Now, Aron is able to focus on zoom during his class. He is able to actually write essay in writing class, in humanities class and even wrote a letter (more an essay) for his aunt's birthday in a very organized manner. He wrote multiple pages research paper for one of his classes. He spent a month researching the topic, writing details on the computer and at the end he even had to write his final draft on paper. For the first time, he did not complain as much while sitting few hours and correcting his grammar mistakes, proper nouns, and just the flow of his paper. Aside from Aron learning, I learned so much from sitting in and listening to his classes. I learned how to help him and and how to guide him by listening how his teachers give him feedback. I strongly recommend Sentence Center to any struggling student. The design of the class is very predictable: begin with check in, a game, very organized lesson-sample of a passage, and sometimes a learning video. Teachers ask your student what they want to write about and they just begin writing. They read and give feedback during class and again before the next class. Aron became better at reading his essays in class because he heard teacher's examples and he learned to read his essays with intonations and voice. Don't think twice and sign up your child to Writing Center class. You will set up your child for a successful future full of fun adventures. Imagine, if our children were great readers and writers, what an amazing new world will open up for them in their near future. Thank you Sentence Center for preparing my son to thrive in the world and preparing him for a brighter future to come. read more

My daughter has been with Sentence Center for a couple of years and I have nothing but good things to say about the instructors and the center. Sentence Center helped her with her fundamental essays and how to be a better creative writer. Ms. Margaret is an amazing teacher. She is engaging, encouraging, communicates well with the parents and with the children. She makes writing fun and non-intimating! I highly recommend Sentence Center. It will definitely ease the stress level for kids (and parents) when they will need to start writing more essays in school. read more

I signed up the virtual writing class based on my friend's referral. Sentence Center did not disappoint me. My daughter is making good progress in the writing class. Her school grades in writing reflect her improvements too. Most importantly, she really enjoys attending the class!:) Thanks to teachers in Sentence Center for teaching and guiding her! read more

My daughter used to hate writing. Sentence Center was recommended by a friend. I enrolled my daughter for a trial class. She cried after the class because she could only write two sentences for an hour and a half. She agreed to give it a try. It's been about 7 months since she started. She's been writing more sentences, gained confidence and more importantly--she's having fun. My daughter really enjoys Ms. Margaret's class. According to my daughter, a class has to be fun. The class starts with fun word games, the children listen to a good writing sample and then they write their own sample and share what they wrote. They also vote for the best writer for the day. It's awesome that Ms. Margaret corrects the kids after they finish their essays. I highly recommend Sentence Center! read more

We are delighted to recommend Sentence Center to any parent who is looking to boost their child's writing abilities or provide an additional challenge. Our daughter started at SC in the summer of 2023 and in just a few weeks we noticed a significant difference in her written work. Most of all she started enjoying the process! Her confidence grew and with that her love for writing. Her 5th grade teachers noticed her work and repeated recognized it in class. My daughter enjoyed her classes with Mr. David, and always looked forward to participating. Sentence Center is true to their mission of helping children become strong and confident writers! read more

I cannot speak highly enough about the Sentence Center! I brought my then 14-year old math oriented son there as I was seriously concerned about his college options after seeing the poor quality of his writing. The improvement in his essay writing skills was apparent just after a few classes. Fast forward to today, he is studying Nuclear Engineering in one of the top schools in England after choosing this path over George Washington, NYU and Columbia. My now 10-year old daughter is the opposite, as she reads 6-7 books a week, doesn't step outside without a book and is clearly under-challenged in English at school. Again, the Sentence Center was there to accommodate her needs as well with creative writing summer program! I was absolutely amazed to see the quality of her written story and can't wait to see her continue developing her skills throughout the year. Thank you, the Sentence Center for helping my kids and also setting up so many other children for success in life ! read more

My daughter was with Sentence Center for 2+ years and she absolutely loved the classes and her teachers at Sentence Center! After attending her first class, she happily told me "It is more fun than a play date!" and the writing adventure went on from there. The classes are very engaging and well designed it is amazing how much kids can learn, write, and share in one class. All teachers (my daughter had 3) are wonderful. They also give offline comments that are very insightful in Google doc and my daughter learned a lot from that as well. My daughter also mentioned it helped her reading comprehension and vocabulary. She is a middle schooler now and attending one of the top private schools in the bay area. We had paused Sentence Center due to busy schedule, but we are thinking to come back some time later for more writing training and fun! read more

My daughter has been with Sentence Center for a year now. We were very worried about her writing competency a year ago. In just one year, she has become one of the top writers in her class! Ms. Margaret and the team is amazing! Not only has our daughter improved so much in writing, she has also become a very confident and creative writer. Thank you so much Ms. Margaret and Mr. Chino. read more

MY 3rd Grader enjoys logging on to class with Ms. Margaret every week and sharing stories with friends via zoom. Ms. Margaret is very skilled at keeping the kids engaged and having fun with the curriculum. I highly recommend Sentence Center. read more

I sent my 5th grader to a trial class. On his way to the trial he made clear that it was just a trial since we made a deal that if he did not like it we wouldn't continue. He came out of that class and could not wait to sign up. He continued for weeks and spoke about the class in such a way that my 3rd grader wanted to sign up. I don't know what they do at Sentence Center that gets these children engaged and excited to write, but we continued with this class for the entire school year. I cannot recommend this class enough. read more

My daughter was part of the Sentence Center for 2-3 years when she was back in Elementary school and moving into Middle school. Our primary reason for going to Sentence Center was catching up on her English since she was part of the bi-lingual school and only had 5 hours of English each week. It took me some time to find this gem (!) and it was absolutely worth it. My daughter really enjoyed her classes with Mr. Chino - the classes were a solid combination of fun activities, structured exercises and real-time feedback from the teacher. Mr. Chino has this unique approach of inspiring his students to actually ENJOY writing and either rediscover some of the moments they experienced in the past or apply their creative/imaginative part into writing. My daughter in general writes a lot (a bit too much, sometimes describing the same thing in different ways again and again!) Classes at Sentence Center helped her better organize her thoughts to ensure there is clarity in thinking and structure to the work piece; a structure and skills that she is now consistently leveraging during her book reports at her regular school or writing her essays for high school! Big kudos to Mr. Chino and his team for creating this unique place and opportunity for children to learn to express themselves and become confident writers - definitely a skill that they will leverage going forward. Sentence Center rocks!! read more

My son is a 2nd grader and he has been studied in Sentence Center for 2 years. His writing skills including sentence construction, vocabulary, brevity and organization are improving rapidly. Ms. Lauren is full of passion and patience for her job. She helps students to correct all the mistakes even the wrong spelling or a punctuation which is useful for the beginner. She gives instructive comments for each paragraph they wrote. My son really loves to stay in Ms.Lauren's class 'cause she is nice and fun, and she will give the students a book as a prize when they finish all the tasks. I would highly recommend Sentence Center to the students who loves writing or needs to improve their writing skills. read more

Both my daughters went to the writing classes and they really love it. They are also showing great interests and potential in writing after having the classes. Both of them now want to be a writer. read more

I could not have asked for a better virtual writing experience for my 3rd grade son. Miss Margaret is a wonderful teacher. She kept him engaged and entertained in every lesson. This class has not only improved his writing, but it has also helped him to understand writing can be fun too. read more

My 2 young children ages 10 and 12 - 5th and 7th grades - have been students at Sentence Center for almost 2 years and their writing skills have improved immensely during this period. Feedback from school teachers include "exceptional, creative, engaging, well-written" essays and school work. Mr. Chino is actively engaged in classes and student development with frequent feedback and close contact with parents. I highly recommend! read more

I was so excited that teacher told me about my daughter writing is so excellent,let me say again thanks for your support and help. After coming to the writing center, she became more and more enjoying the process of writing。 Today, she told me that she was worried that the writing center would not be able to take classes with you during the summer vacation。 I know she loves this class. read more

My daughter started here at Sentence Ctr when she was in 4th grade, she is now in 6th. I signed her up mainly to build stronger writing skills, which she has improved a lot the past 2 years. I wanted to write this review today and share with anyone who's reading this, not only Sentence Center has helped my daughter improve in writing, build public speaking and presentation skills. Unexpectedly, her essays have helped me, her mother, better know and understand my 11 yr old. Today, I have finally had time to read most of her recent essays. One of her essays shared her fears when she sparred and wrestled with someone double her size during Tae Kwon Do training few years ago. I would never have guessed she has fears as she always walks out of training with confidence. Another essay she wrote about how happy and excited she was the day she caught so many fishes during fishing with her Dad, which helped me realize how much joy and passion she has for fishing. Then I got a bit emotional reading one where she wrote how she felt about me, how I never got her Birthday and Christmas presents, explained as everything in life needs to be earned. Thank you very much, Chino, and all the teachers at Sentence Ctr! Not only did you and your team help improve her writing skills and taught her good habits to read on a daily basis, it actually helped introduce me to another level in discovering and understanding my child's deep down inner feelings. read more

My daughter took a two week summer camp at the sentence center, and I was pleasantly surprised to witness a big breakthrough. She wants to be a writer, but even with biased and subjective view as a parent I couldn't see her writing as her strongest skill so my expectation of the camp was moderate. After first week of camp, however, I couldn't believe that the essay I was reading was written by the same person. Somehow the school cracked the shell she was confined in and let her thoughts and feelings expressed with much more eloquence, that it was as if she grew two feet overnight. I am very satisfied and grateful that the sentence center was able to ignite her potential as a writer. I just hope my daughter wouldn't see this review to make fun of my writing now :) I would highly recommend the Sentence Center to anybody who wants to enhance his/her writing skill. read more

My 5th grade son has been taking Sentence Center classes for over 1 year now. Prior to starting writing classes, I remember multiple occasions--struggling for a couple hours with homework, resulting in only 2 sentences on paper! The writing process was painful for both my son and I. Within a month at Sentence center, my son was filling up an entire page, within the 1.5 hour class. He was at last, not struggling with writing, but actually enjoying it! I initially planned just to do a 1 month trial, but my son actually requested that I sign him up for more classes! He says that Chino makes the classes fun! I am just grateful, that my son is actually enjoying the writing process and that it is no a source of stress in our household. read more

The sentence school has a method that is extremely effective for writing. My son attended one session and thoroughly enjoy going to class. To get the most out of it, it still requires some work to make sure your child does his/her assigned homework and edit as necessary. We hope to continue attending at least 2 more sessions in order to build a good habit so my son will always reference the excellent method Chino teaches. We live in Sunnyvale, so it's a trek for us, but it's worthwhile. read more

My daughter spent most of her days writing creative stories but with little experience in writing formal essays until she took classes at Sentence Center with Mr. Chino. This was the best decision we made as she got instant feedback that improved her organization and style. Most importantly, she enjoyed his class so much, we signed up for the Advanced writing class online. Mr. Chino's feedback was on-point and we quickly saw improvement. A year later, she interned at the Sentence Center which served to be a valuable experience. My daughter learned so much from Mr. Chino. He was a true mentor who gave her opportunities to learn and grow. She was always full of smiles after each day that she interned there. Mr. Chino has a way of nurturing young minds that shows his commitment and dedication to educating the whole child. As a parent, I've come to truly appreciate this quality. The classes are affordable and are a great value for what you get. Students come out writing 5 essays a week and enjoying their accomplishments as writers! read more

I signed up my son and daughter for the writing class this summer. My kids throughly enjoyed the writing class and looked forward to it every afternoon. They really enjoyed Chino's teaching style and how he made the class personal and fun. The kids came out of the two week class with a sense of confidence as writers. I highly recommend The Sentence Center. We are pleased with the progress that our children made and will be signing up for the writing class offered through the school year to further increase their writing skills. read more

It's great that my girl's writing is improving and with more details on her essay. The teacher on the virtual class really knows how to motivate the students to writing better. read more

I enrolled my 5th grade daughter at the Sentence Center for their Essay Fundamentals fall and winter classes. Firstly, Chino is an engaging and approachable teacher who integrates fun and games into his teaching. His openness and enthusiasm helps to motivate my daughter. A different topic is explored each time and at the end of every session, all the writings are presented in class and everyone has an opportunity to review and participate on how to expand their essays. My daughter is now confidently expressing her ideas with ease and shows organisation in her writing. She enjoys the classes so much that she looks forward to them every week. If you are looking to help your child improve their writing ability and enjoys the process at the same time, The Sentence Center gets my strong vote of confidence. read more

Sentence Center creates a fun and focused learning environment for all students. My child needed extra attention in mastering his writing skills and understanding the writing process. Chino's classes provided a great combination of skill building, writing motivation, and individualized feedback. My son really improved from the weekly classes. He no longer dreads writing and feels confident when he gets an assignment from school. I highly recommend the Sentence Center to help students gain skills and confidence in writing and reading. read more

I signed my daughter up for the virtual lessons when the schools started distance learning. My daughter enjoyed them. Chino is very engaging and his classes provided (much needed) structured learning. I recommended the Sentence Center to several families and they are all very happy with the classes. Thank you, Chino! read more