Our Three Years at YYY -- A Full Journey Review This review reflects our complete experience watching our son grow from a shy two-year-old into a confident, bilingual kindergartener, all within the walls of YYY. Choosing the School When we began touring preschools in Alameda, YYY stood out immediately. We loved the structure -- the cleanliness, the balance of learning and play, and the Montessori-based approach. The fact that they conduct live scan background checks on all hires gave us added peace of mind. Our only hesitation was the bilingual curriculum. Neither my husband nor I speak Mandarin -- we're an English-only household -- and at two years old, our son wasn't talking much yet. We worried that introducing a second language might confuse him. Still, something about YYY felt right, and we decided to take the leap. Year One -- Group 1: Finding His Footing When our son started at YYY, he had just turned two. He was still in diapers, not very vocal, and still getting steady on his feet. The first three months were the hardest. Every morning brought tears -- he didn't want to be dropped off, and it was the first time he'd ever been away from home in a care setting. By month three, however, something shifted. The crying stopped, and in its place, we began to see a little boy growing more independent and comfortable each day. The first year, we measured success differently. It wasn't about academics -- it was about care. Were the kids safe? Were they being guided toward potty training? Were they learning to feed themselves, follow simple directions, and transition between routines? On every count, YYY delivered. Our son became especially fond of his teacher, Ms. Emily, and that bond told us everything we needed to know about the warmth in that classroom. Year Two -- Group 2: The Emotional Roller Coaster Around the time our son turned three, Ms. Emily pulled us aside with exciting news: he was ready to be potty-trained. We were thrilled. We reinforced the process at home, and within a short time, he was fully trained. Shortly after, he moved up to Group 2, where Mandarin learning began in earnest with Ms. Du and Ms. Chen. At three-and-a-half, a new challenge emerged. Our son was struggling to manage his emotions -- when he didn't get what he wanted, he had a hard time expressing himself, likely because he was still working on his verbal communication. We found ourselves questioning again: was the bilingual environment too much for him? Were we doing the right thing? But the teachers met him exactly where he was. They worked with him patiently -- teaching him to speak up, take a breath, drink some water, and step away to calm down. We mirrored these strategies at home, and gradually, the tantrums gave way to something better: self-regulation. The turning point came in October. The kids were asked to talk about their Halloween costumes in both Mandarin and English, and when we watched the video of our son confidently describing his costume in both languages, we were genuinely amazed. We checked in with Ms. Du, who reassured us: he understood Mandarin well -- he might not always speak it aloud, but he could follow along and even sing songs. That was enough for us to commit. We stayed, and we're so glad we did. By age four, our son was singing songs in Mandarin, making friends, managing his feelings, and coming home to tell us about his day. Year Three -- Group 3: Exponential Growth The final year at YYY brought it all together. The focus shifted toward English readiness for kindergarten, and the growth we witnessed was nothing short of remarkable. One of our most memorable moments came when the kids performed on stage at a church. Our son -- the same boy who once cried every morning at drop-off -- stood up there without a trace of stage fright, belting out a Mandarin song at the top of his lungs, complete with all the dance moves he'd learned from Ms. Pearlie, Ms. Du, and Ms. Chen. My husband and I looked at each other in disbelief, the proudest we'd ever been. The rest of the year unfolded in the same beautiful way: daily journal writing, reading his first books, learning to count, drawing, coloring, and deepening his bonds with every teacher and assistant in the school. The graduation performance was the crown jewel -- every child had memorized speeches in both English and Mandarin and performed choreographed dances with joy and confidence. Talking with the other parents that day, it was clear we all felt the same thing: these teachers had given our children something extraordinary. Not just academic skills, but a foundation -- emotionally, socially, and linguistically -- that will carry them far. We couldn't be more grateful for everything YYY gave our son, and our family. read more

Our son has been going to the after school program since TK and he loves the STEAM program (STEM + ART)! He enjoys the van ride from Bay Farm to the big island with the other kids and now that he's in K, he spends about 2-3 hours after school there - playing with new and old friends, learning more coding, math, reading, and science and experimenting with art methods. It definitely fills in the gaps of public school with the stronger focus on academics. We are very happy with his progress. And of course, he loves his STEAM teachers, Ms. Yuan and Ms. Jamila, as well as the coding, art and math teachers (Mr. Francisco, Mr. Patrick, Ms. Emily, etc.). That being said, this school isn't for everyone and parents have to be open to finding the right school for their child (which can change over time). For our family, I appreciate that this school respects the learning environment best for kids who are ready and motivated to learn on their own. This means that the kids are ready to learn and appreciate the lessons prepared (not yelling, standing on tables, napping, or other disruptive behavior), responsible/sensible to sit in a van full of kids and listen to the teacher, get along and be respectful to others, etc. To keep the kids on schedule with the van and different subjects requires tremendous patience, planning and care from the teachers, staff (Mr. Long) and Director Sunny - we appreciate you! If your kids can focus and manage at YY, they can sit through movies, dinners, airplane rides, etc. - self-managed discipline is what I appreciate the most. The staff communicates well in advance and also is very responsive and accommodating (e.g. if I have to pick up early, miss school, have another parent pickup, etc.). They also have parent-teacher conferences twice a year with a newsletter about your child's class with photos. Also, when we first signed up for TK when my child was 4, I was worried about the transportation, but that's one of the best part that our kid looks forward to when he goes to YY with his friends - it's safe and the van is there early for pickups (and the fee is very economical for us working parents!). We also have friends in the Mandarin program whose parents are very impressed with their children's language and writing skills and enjoy their class performances! We also have a friend who moved their child here due to allergies. Our kid also has a mild allergy and Yuying is very good about keeping everyone safe with allergies (making sure there's no nuts in anyone's lunchbox, no sharing, educating kids about allergies and keeping everyone safe, etc.) and also keeping up with the parents for updated EpiPens and meds. read more

Our son spend 3 year at Yu Ying Learning Center and beneficiate a lot from the highly trained and professional teachers staff. I would recommend for every family!! read more

Our two boys started in the YuYing Preschool and had an excellent experience with Ms. Pearlie, Du Lao Shi and all of the teachers there. Our boys came home teaching us Chinese. We learned about how to talk about dinosaurs, vehicles, continents, money, plants, photosynthesis, Chinese culture and poetry--it was incredible. Our boys also learned to dance and learned their letters and numbers (in English), thanks to Ms. Pearlie's diligent efforts. It was a wonderful place for our sons to grow and learn. Our sons are older now, one is in TK and the other is in 1st grade and are now in the afterschool program. They both love taking the van from their school to YuYing. I appreciate that the staff is attentive to our kid's needs. My younger son was expressing that he felt bullied by another kid. The staff addressed our concerns by mediating between the boys and making changes in the classroom to build more safety for the kids. Our kids have also been teaching me how to read and write simplified Chinese. My 1st grader came home with his workbook. I was impressed at how proficient he was in doing his assignments--making sentences and word pairings in Chinese. I don't think he would know how to do that with English textbooks! Lastly, we appreciate how thorough they are about making a plan for emergencies and communicating them to us. When Alameda had Tsunami warnings or there were concerns about ICE, we appreciated that YuYing made sure to let us know what their plans are in all of these situations. read more

Both my kids attend YuYing since they started elementary school. We've been there since the summer of 2021. Our kids are in the mandarin program, but during the holidays and summer, we get to mix things up with STEM class. The teachers are very attentive and great. We see homework come back and have an idea of what level the kids are at. The homework they get is very manageable. They also have extracurricular classes we can sign up for. My daughter has been doing Chinese dance and she loves it. We get to see the kids perform for Chinese New Year and dance recital. We are so impressed and so happy to see their progress in that way. My kids get to walk from Love Elementary to the YuYing campus, and that's one favorite part of their day. They feel very grown up to walk to the campus. I always that my kids are safe with the teachers. I'm very happy with where my kids are at with their language skills. I'm always impressed the words they are learning. read more

Our daughter went to Yu Ying for preschool and it was the best time. The teachers and staff are super attentive and caring, and our daughter went from not knowing any Mandarin (we are native Cantonese speakers) to speaking it at home with me. She loved Ms. Pearlie's movement time and we greatly appreciated Ms. Pearlie's Montessori approach to tailoring the learning to the progress of our daughter. Ms. Du is excellent and makes learning Chinese fun. Our daughter is now in Ms. Yuan's Saturday Mandarin and art class. She especially enjoys the art class. YY has been great for our family! read more

Our daughter went through Yu Ying from TK through 5th grade, and our son started Yu Ying during K and now is in 4th grade and still at Yu Ying. Both doing the mandarin afterschool program. We have been very happy with the teachers, the variety of activities they do to teach mandarin to the kids, and their attention to details. We have enjoyed watching their growth in reading and writing over the years. They get homework, which is great, to help them retain the information they learn in class, and their teacher has been very clear that the goal of class is learning, not just playing with friends. The afterschool pick up shuttle is very convenient, and they definitely listen and respond to any issues/concerns we have had very effectively. read more

My son attended Yu Ying for about 9 months as a preschooler before starting kindergarten. If we had found out when they were first open that it was an option, I would have enrolled him when the preschool launched. He blossomed tremendously with Ms. Pearlie and Ms. Du. The combination of Montessori and Mandarin was perfect for us. He learned all his alphabets and numbers while there and by the end, was able to read short sentences. We are so appreciative of the individual attention he got from Ms. Pearlie and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Yu Ying Preschool to other parents. read more

Our family moved across the Bay last year, which meant finding a new preschool for my daughter (now four years old). She was heartbroken to leave her old school behind, so we consider ourselves exceedingly lucky to have found Yu Ying Learning Center. Ms. Pearlie and Ms. Du welcomed our little one with open arms and hearts, and it's been a delight to see her blossom over the last ten months. She's learned more conversational Mandarin and can happily sing many new favorite songs both in English and Chinese. She already knows the continents and the difference between vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and she's well on her way to being able to read independently. There's plenty of play time, too, which has helped her imagination take flight. It's touching to see how much our child adores her teachers--she even pretends to be Ms. Pearlie to teach her stuffed animals! I'm also impressed by her social skills and how well she's learned to process her feelings. Another student took the toys she and her friends were playing with, so their reaction was to make books about how mad they were. She came home with a carefully-stapled epic about being mad, every page an illustration of her own angry face, and staged multiple dramatic readings for us. It was a productive channel for her emotions at the time, which allowed her to soon forgive her friend's transgression. This masterpiece is definitely going in the memory book! Our child will be moving on to kindergarten soon, but she'll be attending Yu Ying's preschool summer camp (she had a blast last year!) and after school program next year. Our daughter has thrived here, and we're happy to be part of the Yu Ying community. read more

Yu Ying Learning Center - An excerpt from the legendary "Mad Book". - Tutoring Centers Near Me - Alameda, California

Our kids attended YuYing Preschool and the YuYing After-School Program. Ms. Pearlie and Ms. Du were incredibly caring, and it was clear that they are both professional and truly love working with children. My kids still talk about their preschool teachers to this day. We also loved how they learned to dance, and we really appreciated the picture and video updates we received. read more

This is a review for Yu Ying's fairly new preschool branch (Yu Ying Yuan = YYY Daycare). YYY has everything we hoped for: Montessori + Mandarin + Play-based curriculum. We feel so lucky to have Ms. Pearlie as my 4-yo's teacher. She reminds us of Ms. Frizzle in Magic School Bus series: passionate, fun, resourceful, and elegant (she does wear unique dresses like Ms. Frizzle)! She is the type of teacher who I would ask lots of questions to regarding education as a parent. The day my son started reading a sentence for the first time, Ms. Pearlie excitedly told us the news. I as a parent was so happy to see my son starting to read for the first time, but also was very touched to see a teacher, who has over 30 years of teaching experience, still sparkle with true joy. I can tell she is not just a caretaker at a daycare. She is an educator who truly has passion about child development. The programs at YYY are full of resources. Each month has appropriate themes (season, holidays, maps of the world, stories about family, etc.), and the children explore those themes using various methods, such as public speaking, poem, songs, arts & crafts (all in both English and Mandarin). I am very grateful and satisfied with how much positive stimulation my son is getting. Another strong point is that the communication with the parents is excellent. On top of regular verbal and email communication (lots of fun photos/videos showing the kid's presentation), there is periodic teacher-parent conference where parents and the head teacher come together to really work together how to best educate the child. Thank you YYY! read more

We have had such a wonderful experience with Yu Ying over the past 3 years. My kids are part of the Mandarin program and their Chinese has improved greatly! The staff is amazing and our kids really enjoy learning there. And as a working parent I love that they provide transportation (be sure you sign up early!), offer extra enrichment opportunities (art, coding, dance, etc), summer programs AND offer holiday care on many of the days the school district is closed for staff development. They also do celebrations around the Chinese holidays which my kids love to participate in. It's such a pleasure to be part of the Yu Ying community- I'd recommend it to anyone! read more

My older daughter, now 8, attended Yu Ying Learning Center for 3 years. The first 2 years (pre-pandemic) she was part of their wonderful afterschool care program. She was picked up from Bay Farm School and driven to one of their Central campus locations. I always felt confident that she was safe and very well cared for, and I loved that she was able to get a solid program of language study as well as a little bit of play (and a light snack) after school. I've been amazed by how far her Mandarin speaking, comprehension and even writing skills have come during that time, especially since we don't practice very much at all at home. My daughter also took a couple of their enrichment courses (piano, creative drawing) which she loved. And their Christmas performances are so much fun! The kids perform songs and/or a dance, something like that. It's delightful. This past year, I was so impressed by how quickly, smoothly, and effectively Yu Ying pivoted to online learning classes when the pandemic hit. They run an excellent virtual learning program with virtual monster characters for each child, and a points system that kept both my 8yo and 6yo Kindergartner engaged, learning, and having fun. I could often hear them laughing and hollering out answers from the other room to try and earn points. We recently moved out of the district and are sad to leave their program but would definitely recommend either the in-person or their remote online program. Chantha their administrator is so helpful and responsive, and we have loved so many of their teachers (Ms. Yang, Ms. Cheng, Ms. Fan). We'll miss our Yu Ying family and thank them for taking such great care of our kids both in-person and remotely! read more

yuying is the best place for our kids, my daughter is attending weekends mandarin classes and I can't believe my ears. she's already learning fast. thank you read more

Our soon-to-be five-year-old is in the middle of his second year at Yu Ying Preschool on Park St (across from the South Shore Center). We love it so much! It's been perfect for our son and our family. Our (very shy) son knew some Mandarin beforehand (grandparents), but now, he's speaking it confidently and often. At home and at school. His Mandarin has improved so much, even though he's only at the school from 8:30 - 12:00. In addition to learning Mandarin, the Montessori and play-based combo has really helped him come out of his shell. He's counting by tens up to 100, reading "at" words and sight words, and exploring science, geography, and art -- all while having so much fun. He loves his teachers, especially Ms. Pearlie and Ms. Do, and all of the friends he's made at the school so far. We're super grateful that Yu Ying preschool opened when it did, as there really aren't many options like it. We highly recommend it. read more

Our 5 and 6 year olds have attended summer and holiday camps this past year and they are excited to go back this summer again! The teachers always greet the kids while hugs and smiles when they are dropped off in the morning and I feel they are completely taken care of while they are there. My kids are always excited to show me the art projects and crafts that they have completed that day. Admin office is very responsive to questions or emails and are on top of things. I'm really happy that this Mandarin immersion program is in Alameda because my kids are able to keep up their Mandarin during school breaks. Also great is that they offer camps and can do by day in alignment with the local academic calendar so it's very convenient to enroll around your vacation dates. read more

My son has spent 2.5 years in Yu Ying, first two years in their Park st campus and now in the Central campus. Their after-school program is well-organized. They pick up the kids from schools at 3pm, then teach two Mandarin classes with a recess in between. Over the past years, my son has made tremendous progress in learning the language. They also offer enrichment classes such as piano, Lego, theater and arts. My son has attended many and enjoyed everyone of them. I am very grateful for having Yu Ying in Alameda. It is never easy to find a good after-school program that kids can enjoy and parents can trust. But Yu Ying has proven to be a great choice! read more

This school is a great place for kids to learn Chinese. I try to speak and teach my boy at home, but it's really not enough. When he studies in YuYing, he learned how to write and read. The teachers are very responsible and patient. My son loves his teachers a lot that helps him to learn more. The schools also have a lot of other classes options like piano, lego, and art ... that are convenient and good for parents have to work full time. One of my friend tried other Chinese leaning places, finally she still choses to go to YuYing. If you want your kids really to learn Chinese, YuYing is the best choice. read more

Our son attended both afterschool care (during kinder year) and summer camp at Yu Ying (before 1st grade) at the Central Ave location. Overall, we were very happy with the level of care and attention he received. Yu Ying is very organized and has a solid mandarin curriculum for both afterschool and for summer camp. Most importantly, our son seemed very happy there! For the afterschool program, Yu Ying picks up from local Alameda elementary schools for an extra fee, which is convenient especially for working parents. Yu Ying provides afternoon snacks for the kids in case you forget to pack an afternoon snack. In terms of the instruction, my son's afterschool teacher was great! We can't say enough wonderful things about Du Lao Shi (Ms. Du). She was very communicative/caring and willing to work with us to ensure our son had a positive experience and that he was learning mandarin at the expected level. For the afterschool program, the kids get ~1.5-2 hours of structured mandarin instruction per day with the rest of the time for free play. It seems Yu Ying's curriculum is on par with other mandarin immersion schools in the Bay Area, as our son passed an assessment test for a highly-rated local mandarin immersion charter school - he tested at the same level as the other kids who had been in a mandarin immersion environment for their kinder year. Overall, our son enjoyed his time at Yu Ying, and we plan to enroll him in the summer camp again this year. read more

My nine year old son has been with Yu Ying for three years since almost its inception. My second son started during summer entering his Kindergarten. I was delighted to hear him sing many Mandarin nursery rhymes after a few introductory weeks there. What distinguishes its program is its Mandarin teaching. Its curriculum is well planned out. It includes speaking, reading both by Pin Yin and by recognizing Chinese characters and writing in Chinese. I have a conference with each of my children's teachers every half a year to understand their progress. Their veteran teachers have seen my elder son grown by leaps and bounds from ground zero in Mandarin. My children have also taken other extra curriculum activities there such as abacus but I chose to keep them only on private reading these days so that proper time could be spend on learning Mandarin and doing homework. It has also served as my go-to school-break programs for years since my boys have established good friendships with other students there. Yu Ying has since expanded to two locations which is a testimony to its success! I have been so lucky to have discovered this wonderful school early on. I'm comforted to know that my children are under the care of the experienced teachers in Yu Ying daily, picking up from their regular school to there. If you want a program that can expand your children's language skills to learn Mandarin, provide many options in other learnings in house, support homework coaching and manage transportation logistics, I cannot think of any other program that worth my endorsement more than Yu Ying Learning Center! read more

My son has been attending Yu Ying since August 2019. I was already impressed with their consistent professionalism and positive energy, as well as the Mandarin that he is learning despite having no previous experience. The supplementary offerings are wonderful from chess and math tutorials to coding through lego and martial arts. Many of the teachers have university and masters degrees in teaching or fields relevant to pedagogy and they are warm and kind. For working parents, Yu Ying is a godsend thanks to their pick-up service from Alameda Unified (and I believe some private) schools and their enjoyable & educational day camps whenever the school district is closed. They are also quick to respond to any queries I make. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds around us, my esteem of Yu Ying has only risen. They unrolled substantial on-line instruction with zero glitches within days of schools shuttering. As an educator myself, I know how much work and coordination this requires. My son continues to learn in a structured fashion that has given him continuity in a time of rupture, helping everyone in the family to stay sane. The regular connection with fellow students and his wonderful teacher is truly invaluable in this period of social distancing. I cannot recommend Yu Ying enough for both in-person and on-line instruction (whatever the future holds!) and hope that the school and its hardworking personnel will thrive as they well deserve! read more

We are so thrilled to have an opportunity for our son to learn Mandarin in Alameda. Even though it is not spoken consistently in our home, I have been very happy at how much my son has learned in the short half year that he has been attending Yu Ying. While he previously had very little ability, my son is reciting classical Chinese poetry, speaking in short sentences, writing characters, and singing songs. The teachers are loving and care for each and every one of the students. There are extra-curricular activities such as Chinese chess and calligraphy, and students recite poetry and learn about holidays and traditions. As working parents, my husband and I are grateful that the teachers provide transportation from the elementary school to the campus and they also do their best to provide holiday care. We will continue to send our son to Yu Ying and our daughter looks forward to attending next year when she's old enough. read more

My twins are at Yu Ying camp this summer and are very happy there! In the 2 weeks they've been there thus far they've learned more Mandarin than I thought possible. They come home counting, repeating phrases and singing songs they've learned at camp. They also go on field trips (beach, pizza making, bowling). The teachers are caring and the kids are always happy when I drop them off and pick them up. Highly recommend it! read more

My daughter attended the summer program and loves it here! After searching for different Mandarin schools in the East Bay, a friend suggested Yu Ying Learning Center. Everything worked out perfectly since it's close to home, and the Mandarin Immersion program is excellent. The teachers are enthusiastic and passionate about teaching children. My daughter flourished during her 6 weeks of summer camp, and was surprised by how much her Mandarin improved each week, since she began with only basic language knowledge. She always gets excited explaining what she learned after coming home! Lessons are engaging and interactive, which includes songs, stories, music, and games. One thing I appreciate is the staff does a great job communicating with parents. My child received frequent progress reports, so I was informed about what they're learning, their improvement, and proficiency level as they progressed. I am pleased to know they invest a lot of energy to support students. We currently attend the weekend classes, and they also offer an afterschool Mandarin program. Yu Ying Learning Center is a wonderful local resource and we highly recommend their programs. read more

My son has been studying Chinese for 3 years at yuying learning center. All teachers are nice and very patient with their students. Yuying has different level classes. My son current in native speaker class 2. In the past 3 years he learned "pinyin" and lots of Chinese poems, songs......Our family also enjoy Chinese New Year performance every year. My daughter looks forward to attending yuying this coming September when she's old enough. read more

Teachers speak English but heavy accent ruins any sort of learning. I watched my child try and figure out what she was saying for 20 mins before I decided she's better learning from someone who can clearly annunciate. If you wanna try and understand what I'm complaining about, call up and listen to the msg on their answering machine. You can barely decipher it, imagine being a child and trying to learn with that impediment. read more

My son does not know any Mandarin when he started in the after school program at the Park street campus. He learned so much within 4 months at Yu Ying's care. The teachers are excellent and take great care of the kids. My son adores Ms Cheng in his Native Beginner class. She is a wonderful teacher. He can't wait to go back for the Summer School program. read more

My daughter, Anika, started at Yu Ying last summer just on a whim for a summer camp lsat year when she was 5 years old. She had no exposure to Mandarin prior to the camp, but by day three, she could count to 100 in Mandarin and by the end of the week, she was writing the characters 1-10 in Chinese. Our daughter is very shy and usually hesitant about trying new things, but she felt comfortable in the environment rather quickly. In fact, it was that one week at Yu Ying which made us easily decide that she would do her afterschool program there. She has now been in the after school program (4 days/week) since September and we have been very happy with her experience. Our shy daughter has really blossomed there and feels very comfortable with everyone there. She even requested to have the teacher who only speaks Chinese when she is in second grade (because she enjoys the art projects). I read the review that garnered one star above and wondered what he was talking about. There are 2 programs...an English enrichment for those who come from Chinese homes and then the Chinese Immersion for those who don't. Obviously, he didn't meet the English teachers...not sure if he was going for Chinese or English. I personally am happy that some of the teachers teaching Mandarin speak with heavy English accents...I know Anika is learning the real thing. Anyways, I would highly recommend Yu Ying! Small student: teacher ratio, diverse learning (they have an outdoor garden, they take walking trips to the beach, art projects). read more

My son has been with Yu Ying almost its inception 3 years ago when Branden was in kindergarten. I did not have expectation of my son's ability on Chinese, only that he had a good after-school care to go to. Year after year, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of teaching that the teachers placed on Branden. On a semi-annual conference with me, the teachers would illustrate what type of work Branden has done in sound and words recognition. This summer, I also included my second son, Jayden who entered into kindergarten to join Yu Ying. Within weeks, he could sing Chinese rhymes. Only when Jayden sang did his elder brother also claimed he knew how to sing and joined in occasionally. Then I knew that Yu Ying has been teaching the rhymes all along but that my elder son just didn't sing at home. It's a blessing that they learned my native language early on. That advantage allows them to pronounce authentically. Yu Ying has expanded to two locations because of its reputation and quality of Chinese teaching. They also offer other enrichment programs such as piano and chess. I wholeheartedly recommend Yu Ying to those who might consider an after-school program who provides quality education to our future generation! read more

The teachers at Yu Ying are tremendous and really care about each individual student. As a native english speaker, it is amazing to watch our daughter pick up both the Mandarin language and Chinese simplified characters. Although we haven't taken advantage of their transport services, I was surprised that they also pick up students from the local elementary schools at a minimal extra cost. We look forward to having our daughter go through the Yu Ying program as long as she continues to stay as excited about learning Mandarin as she does today. read more

Our daughter has attended Yu Ying since it opened 3 years ago, and she absolutely loves it. Our family speaks no Mandarin, but she has progressed rapidly and is able to converse fluently, as well as read and write using simplified characters and Pinyin. Over the last 3 years we have watched Yu Ying grow from a small school with 3 classes to the point where it needs to expand to a second Alameda campus which will open in Fall 2015. This success is a testimony to the quality of the school, with dedicated teachers who genuinely care about the students. Apart from the excellent quality of the Mandarin instruction provided, it gives us great peace of mind to know that our daughter is attending a school that offers such a safe and friendly environment. I know she is very happy there, as it is always her first choice when we need to find a summer camp or holiday care. An added bonus is the flexibility the school shows in always being accommodating to the Alameda Unified School District calendar - a pick-up service is offered, and times are adjusted to cater to modified or reduced days. I would highly recommend Yu Ying to anyone looking for either after school care or a summer program (or both) for their child. read more

this small day care&language center has very special feeling to all of it.