Students drawings of the Terra-cotta Warriors

Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School was opened in September 2008, and the school is now in its third successful year.  Yu Ying was the first Chinese language immersion program available to DC residents.  Half of their classes, including Math and Art, are taught in Chinese.  Yu Ying has about 200 students from Pre-K to 2nd grade, and majority of the students are not Asian.

The students in Yu Ying have alternate language day, so they only learn in one language at any given day.  As many people would agree, being able to speak and use a foreign language is the best way to learn.  Research indicates that in order to gain fluency in a language, students need to spend significant time in an environment saturated in the language they are learning.

Learning Chinese has been in high demands over the past few years, as our economic and political connection strengthen with China.  Teaching children more than one language will help with brain development, and hopefully useful for future careers.  Chinese language education is particularly well-suited to the early education setting because, as a State Department-graded “level 4″ language, it is especially difficult for non-native speakers to master. Yu Ying takes advantage of young children’s innate ability to acquire language through early introduction to and immersion in Chinese.

For those of you with young children living in the Washington DC area, check out Yu Ying’s website, www.washingtonyuying.org.  They began to accept application for next year in October, so you may still have time!

If you are looking to send your child to Chinese school in the Fall, this is the time to do your homework. A lot of local schools have open houses this months, so check your local area for listings. I think going to open houses is a great idea as it allows you to ask questions, and visit the classes in action. Not all schools are created equal, so being in the enviroment will allow you to see whether or not that is the setting for your child.

My kids go to Murray Hill Chinese School in NJ, and we’re very happy there for several different reasons. The facility is big with ample parking spaces. The classes are very structured, with lesson plans, quizes, and letter grades. This is different from the other Chinses school we went to couple of years ago, where the teacher basically taught whatever came to mind. With a more structured program, there is continuity between lessons, so it allows me to work with my child on the days he had to miss school.

The parent organization is also very active, class moms/dads send out reminders weekly about homework, schedule changes, and quizes so that all parents are informed whether you stay in the classroom with your child or not. The Administrative team (all volunteers) along with all the teachers put together a great New Year’s performance (open to the public), that is not to be missed.

All in all, we’re extremely pleased with the school and the quality of the teachers there. Sending your kids to Chinese school is a big decision and a huge time committment for the family, so be sure to do your homework before you start!

Last week while I attended the PTO meeting at Chopstick’s school, they announced that the school district had decided to add Mandarin Chinese to the foreign language curriculum starting with 5th grade.  They said the decision was based on current trend, and that Chinese is going to be one of the more useful languages in the world.  This was definitely good news to us, considering most families in our school district are non-Chinese.  On another hand, I feel a little bit of pressure.  Being one of the few Chinese families in school, my kids will definitely have a certain expectation of them to excel in these classes.  I know I am thinking way too far ahead, since Chopstick is only in kindergarten, but it’s never too early to plan ahead, right.

Anyway, coincidently, there was an article on New York Times last week that talks about this Chinese trend allover the country.  Pretty interesting stuff.  The estimation is that roughly 1600 schools in America now teach Chinese compared to 300 about a decade ago.  I am always proud to be Chinese, and now I am REALLY proud.

There are many Chinese Schools in NJ, but only one offers immersion program. This week, My Panda Paws were invited to the school for it’s Back to School Night event.

According to Sharon Huang, founder of Bilingual Buds, Bilingual Buds is a unique Mandarin Chinese immersion program for children ages 1-10. It provides children with an opportunity to develop proficiency in Chinese language and literacy, while developing the “whole child” in a child-centered environment. It’s mission is to” prepare children to be global citizens who are intellectually curious, culturally aware, and linguistically capable.”

Infants and preschoolers between the ages of 1 and 3 can pick one of the 3 mommy and me classes offered. This class teaches food and other everyday words in Chinese along with fun games and music.

Preschoolers, ages 2 1/2 to 5 years old have two options. One program meets 5 days a week. In addition to Chinese language skills, children are also taught fine motor and gross motor skills in English. The other preschool program meets 2 days a week, and is taught in Chinese only. This program is designed as a supplement to other type of education, whether in another school or a home school environment.

Kindergarten through grade 3 follows 60/40 Chinese/English ratio. This program is designed to provide a solid foundation for fluency in Mandarin, and includes subjects in both Chinese and English Language Arts, Math, Science, Music, Art, and PE. This curriculum meets the NJ core content and the Summit Board of Education curriculum standards.

After school and summer camp programs are also available. Clcik here for more in depth information about Bilingual Buds.