My 3-year daughter started out very shy, but the teacher has since reported that she is blossoming and being more assertive. ;) Although she is spoken to at home in Cantonese and Mandarin, she is more fluent in Mandarin. But after only a few months, she now sings Cantonese songs at home all the time. We love Wah Mei School, the teachers are nurturing, parents are actively involved and it's a great value!
This is a great preschool that exposes them to Chinese. My daughter is learning Cantonese and Mandarin and it's lovely coming home hearing her sing both Cantonese and Mandarin songs at night. I like that we can drop her off at 7:30am and pick her up before 6:00pm because we are busy working parents. The staff are so nice and helpful. She loves taking a nap there too, although she won't nap on weekends at home. As parents, we feel very secure with her being with caring teachers and helpers. We have also gotten close to a few of the families at Wah Mei, and we still keep in touch even though some of our daughter's classmates have gone off to Kindergarten.
My daughter attended Wah Mei School for 2 years and I felt very confident in the school's ability to provide nurturing and attentive care to foster her emotional, social and intellectual well-being. Additionally, Wah Mei School teaches Chinese literacy, culture, and traditional Chinese songs, and she learned Cantonese, mandarin and English. A wonderful gem of a school!
We had all four of our children attended Wah Mei School. They all loved their teachers and the friends they made there. Many of them are lifelong friends, remaining close after college. I recommend a site visit for families considering Wah Mei, so they can see the wonderful environment in the classrooms.
Our older daughter attended Wah Mei for 3 years and headed off to kindergarten this fall. We were complimented by her kindergarten teacher on how well prepared she has been for kindergarten. The background she has received has helped her excel in elementary school.
We are also hoping to send our younger daughter there.
Even though as a personal choice we have decided not to enroll in a continuing language immersion program, we feel well served by the bilingual language and multicultural curriculum at Wah Mei. Our daughter still has a degree of fluency in Chinese that she would not have otherwise.
The teachers, administration, and the cook are all wonderful caring people and great educators. We felt part of a family and would recommend the preschool to anyone.
Great pre-school. Language focus aside, WMS is a nurturing place for youngsters. I always feel safe when I drop of my kids and know for a fact that they are well cared for and loved in my absence. That is the very first consideration I have when I chose a pre-school for my kids. The fact that the school also teach my kids about Chinese language and culture is a bonus. My kids are 6 and 8 now and their best friends are still ones they made at WMS and I have become good friends with some fellow parents as well. Other "bonuses" include a warm lunch, enrichment art and movement classes, affordable tuition, good parent involvement and convenient location.
Our 5 year old daughter just graduated from Wah Mei this year and we are planning to send our son to Wah Mei next year. We really like the bilingual experience and the teachers are very helpful and caring. The teachers tried to teach the children based on their personality and try to understand each and every one of them. The teachers are very patient, have very fun projects for the kids, and will sometimes teach the children to make their own dessert.
Great preschool! You can tell the teachers take pride in their work and really care for the children.
Wah Mei School was the first bilingual preschool in SF 40 years ago and has always focused on an authentic experience for the children led and taught by native speakers in Cantonese and Mandarin who are totally dedicated to the children. It's a small school and very warm and individualized, with happy children everywhere.
Both of my children, my now 9 year old and my recently graduated 5 year old, attended Wah Mei for two years prior to Kindergarten. Wah Mei is a bilingual, bicultural preschool program with dedicated and caring teachers. Wah Mei set the foundation and prepared my children for school. Both of my children flourished while there, and I can only believe that they will continue to do well in school given the foundation that was established for them. I highly recommend Wah Mei to anyone seeking a quality child care program.