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October 2023 by Sharon H.
School is doing bad jobs on discouraging bad behaviors/bullying. My son and several of his classmates were distracted a lot by those bad behaviors from time to time. There were many accidents: One kid was pushed down from play ground structure and one kid was frequently bullied and had nightmares from time to time.
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September 2023 by Danna D.
I really don't want to jinx my good luck but this school is a gem so far. Just back from parent night and the teacher said all they were focussing on for sel was to teach kids to respect each other and each other's differences. I love that. None of this nonsense be kind bs that other schools tout but don't understand. Basic manners and respect. That's all our kids really need to learn to interact well. As far as academics I know many claim it's not that academic. But frankly I don't agree. It's a very good school with excellent balanced levels. Some kids are writing full paragraphs with advanced vocab in my sons second grade class. My son is not. Pretty much writing like chicken scratch now. But the teachers are so encouraging and thoughtful without pandering to every whim of the child or parent. They know what they are doing to put it bluntly. They are very professional and have a solid plan for your kid to progress quickly. My son is very happy and u can see it on his class photos. He understands responsibility which is mandarin public school never taught him. He is making nice friends because kids are respectful to each other. And he is excited about learning mandarin again. I'm a real pill when it comes to schools. I'm picky and I've had tremendous bad luck. But this one- all I wanted to tell the teachers at the end of parent night was "I am so grateful for everything you have done for my son." Only thing they need- is a middle school!
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August 2023 by David S.
A very happy and long review of our 3 years of preschool at YCIS. It was very important to us that neither my wife nor I, as the father, had any significant Chinese background but would still feel welcomed and Comfortable. My wife barely speaks the language. We found that many of the other schools we looked at did not seem welcoming to non-native speakers. They definitely looked at me funny sometimes. However, YCIS welcomed us with open arms, and we made many friends with native-born Chinese families and Americans alike. The culture is incredibly warm and encouraging. Furthermore, the school takes a thoughtful and academically balanced approach. We were thrilled that our son, who speaks no Mandarin at home, was able to read, write, and speak Chinese after just three years at the school. We were fortunate to have the support of the preschool leaders and teachers throughout his three years there. And he has taken the language to heart. It's an amazing balance of curiously exploring the world whole learning concepts. The teachers work INCREDIBLY HARD. Their thoroughness in documenting and planning for each child's learning needs is unmatched to any program we explored in the South Bay. The only downside we had is that the school does not have many windows. Although this was a concern for us initially, the children spend a lot of time in the play yard, which makes up for it. Overall, we are very happy with YCIS and plan to send our daughter there as well. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the school for many years to come. We were not as impressed with one of the 6 teachers, she would repeatedly misspell things in English on her chalkboard! But her partner was super sharp which turned out ok. We will be back!
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June 2022 by Quentin P.
Son went to school here from 2nd grade thru 8th grade. Overall very happy with the school. Were there bumps, yes. Main thing was that the teachers and administration mean well and care for the students, so if you team with them, that will go a long way to smooth things out. I agree with other parents that the social aspects were very good. Son is still in touch with and plays with classmates 4 years later, even though the kids are almost all at different high schools. It was enjoyable to have close relationships with other families and teachers. Really a family-type environment. Could it have been more academic, yes. Could there have been more Math or English focus, yes. But we really wanted our son to have a solid grasp of Mandarin: speaking, reading and writing and Chinese culture. He has it and so glad we did. Son is currently at a top STEM high school in the Bay Area and is thriving.Note that violin was, at least when we were there, required for all students from pre-school or grade 1 to grade 5. YCIS believes that, following some scientific studies, that stringed instruments aid math brain development. So my son learned violin here and has continued to this day.Lastly, we had attended a total of 3 YCIS campuses, Qingdao, Shanghai- Hongqiao and Silicon Valley. Although different countries and cities, core values were the same and we wouldn't have changed the education our son received. Always recommend this school to co-workers and friends.
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April 2022 by Ye L.
The school has good "hardware" including classroom, toys, playground etc. and they take precaution during pandemic like weekly on-site test, sanitize play structure after each group. The school has its downside as well. Depending on the teachers being assigned to, you can have different experience, and unfortunately it's kinda negative for me. 1.Even though I told the teachers specifically that my kid needs nap, she probably sleeps 1-2 days during the week for 10/20min which makes her super tired in the afternoon. The teacher even told me in a proud tone that she and my kid did leg exercises during nap. 2. The student report I got has other kid's name on it. It's clearly copy & paste and the teacher didn't even care to change the name3. The student report says my kid is a good eater which is 100% wrong. I check lunch box everyday and most of the time my kid only had couple bites.4. The feedbacks I got from the teachers are not quite relevant to child development. For example, our lunch box. However I expect to hear more about how my kid was doing at school. Also the feedback I got about child development was not quite true, as I did not get such feedback from other schools and also the school we transferred to.I also chat with parents from other classrooms and heard that some classroom would play games to encourage kids to finish lunch etc. So every classroom might be different depending on the teachers. Also the principal has left the school.With the high tuition we've paid and advertised good ratio, I expect the kid to be better taken care of, and teachers to be more experienced.
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February 2022 by Ruth H.
We have been with YCIS for 3 years. 2 years of which was in the Pandemic. I agree with the below parent's comment about making friends with other families at school, which is the cherry on top of the school's dedication to academic excellence.I've compared YCIS's math curriculum (they use Singapore Math), against California's common core math standard. My kid's math workbook level is roughly one grade ahead.We experienced many bumps and frustrations along the way with respect to Covid but I am also seeing school's diligence in re-opening the school quickly. I want to give Dr Vaught a shoutout for making many intelligent decisions for the school the last 5 years.Looking forward to attending YCIS's summer camp too!
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September 2021 by Y N.
My children have since graduated from YCIS - SV.My son is now at UCB. My daughter is in G9 at another school. So why am I writing an update? I want to tell you how this school has shaped my children's lives.My son's best friends were from YCIS. They have been best friends since they were 3 years old. They still do sleepovers and have lunch/dinner together.... even though they went to different schools for so long. Friendship... priceless....Most of the kids from my son's class went to very good universities: John Hopkins, Santa Clara University, Cal Poly, University of Michigan, Washington University, New York University and of course many are in UCs. My daughter just went back to YCIS to volunteer to help out in their Chinese summer program. Not just my daughter, but a few others from her grade and other high schoolers too. They just couldn't have enough of this school. Though the high schoolers are now at different high schools, they still keep in touch with each other and they are still close when they see each other.Just today, YCIS has a mid-autumn festival event on a Saturday morning, and my daughter wanted to go back to visit. Yes, a teenager wanted to go back to her elementary school. She said a lot of teachers still remember her, though she has grown up so much. As for me, I am still in touch with many of the other YC moms. They have become my own friends. The parents have such a great network and are so genuine. One thing for sure, we all care about our kids. I think this says a lot about the school.
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December 2017 by Edwin Evans
Great school! Our daughter has been attending for several years and we're very happy with everything.
