Hours: 8AM-5:30PM
Full Time/Part Time
Open Year-Round

My son attended an elementary school Mandarin immersion program with Wang Laoshi, and I am so grateful for the time he spent with her! We don't speak Mandarin at home but she made us very comfortable by giving us updates on his progress and giving him individual attention when she noticed he was struggling. She is a very experienced and professional teacher but also caring and patient. She knows how kids think (and how to make them laugh) and arranges activities that are both fun and educational.

When my younger son needed some extra help with his Mandarin we immediately thought of Ms. Wang. She very kindly and patiently tutored him, bringing his vocabulary up quite quickly. If I had another child ready for preschool, I would choose Ms. Wang over any other teacher!

Ms. Wang was my daughter's kindergarten teacher. She is one of the warmest, most energetic teachers I've ever encountered. My daughter was very shy and reserved to begin with and under Ms. Wang, she really blossomed in confidence and excelled at the end of the year with her mandarin.  I found Ms. Wang's teaching to be very creative and engaging and her ability to maintain order in the classroom was impressive and Ms. Wang was always firm yet kind. We couldn't have had a greater experience with her.

Wang lao shi is simply fantastic! As a parent, I am so impressed with the level of personalized attention that my child receives. She truly tailors the instruction to each child's needs, which means that my child is consistently challenged and supported in their language learning journey.

The language immersion program is top-notch. My children have been attending this school for almost two years now, and they have made incredible progress in their Mandarin language skills. I have been pleasantly surprised to hear Mandarin speakers compliment my child on their pronunciation and fluency, which is a testament to the high level of language instruction they receive.

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What's even more impressive is that my child has tested in as a native speaker on the SFUSD test with a perfect 100% score, despite neither of us parents speaking Mandarin at home. This speaks volumes about the quality of education that Ms. Wang and team provides.

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The teachers are truly exceptional. They genuinely care about the children and go above and beyond to create a warm and nurturing environment. I have seen firsthand how they take the time to get to know each child and understand their unique learning style. They are patient, kind, and always willing to answer any questions or concerns that I have.

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Overall, I am incredibly grateful to have found this school. It has been a wonderful experience for my children and our family. If you are looking for a world-class personalized educational experience for your child, I highly recommend this school. It is truly exceptional!

• My son has been going to Wang lao shi’s program since he was 20 months. He's now almost 3 years old. We had a positive experience overall at this school, primarily because of the head teacher Ms. Wang. She has taught Mandarin immersion at public schools and her Mandarin education has had a significant positive impact on my son. My husband does not speak Chinese at home so English becomes the default language, it was important to me that my son is exposed to the Mandarin language and Chinese culture early on and this school has more than adequately satisfied that.
  
  Outside of the language immersion and instruction, the small classroom format has also proven to be really good for developing my son's social and emotional skills. Ms. Wang is continuously looking for new ways to engage and enhance all of the kids development potential. As my son was born during the pandemic, it was really important to us to find him an environment where he can be exposed to others but not overwhelm him. The school introduced weekly library visits, piano teacher sing along and parent instruction programs, trips to the zoo etc. all included in the tuition without extra charges. Ms. Wang does an amicable job of keeping all parents informed and I do feel like we have a partner in addressing specific needs of the child. Last month, my son went through potty training and I was nervous how it would go, but the school really accommodated and helped him with the process. The school also uses an app (Brightwheel) to keep all the parents informed, I find it reassuring to know what my son is learning and keep up with his progress.
  
  Maybe more than anything that makes me recommend this school is Ms. Wang's ability to take feedback and continuously improve the school and the programs. Being a first time school owner - it requires different skills than just amazing teaching skills that Ms. Wang has. There will not be a school that satisfies every need of every parent. There have been incidents where some changes and improvements need to be made. Ms. Wang has always been open to feedback and tries hard to accommodate everyone. I like the small parents community we have, and I do genuinely believe if you are a family that wants to shape and influence the direction of a small program, then this school is a great choice, and Ms. Wang is a great person to work with.

Wang lao shi’s program is an amazing program!  They take daily walking trips to libraries and parks for music and story time.  They bring in music and arts & crafts teachers.  Their meals and snacks are nutritious and mostly organic.  

Ms. Wang really pours her heart into the work. She has a masters in education, and taught for years at both of SF's Mandarin public elementary schools.  

When my son started at this school, he was the youngest one there.  We weren't even thinking about Mandarin immersion or any set curriculum initially.  He had trouble with separation at his last daycare.  We had a feeling that Ms. Wang could support him better.  We also thought he'd enjoy learning from the older kids in this mixed age format.

We're amazed by how well our son has done.  He got used to school very quickly, and started sprinkling Mandarin in his speech just 1-2 weeks in.  He was never social around other kids before this school.  So we love watching him play with his schoolmates now on the app.  We're excited to see him learn about things like changing seasons and holidays, at such a young age.

This school is just steps from Muni Metro.  Yet there's so much parking on their block, you can usually park right at their curb!  (Quite a treat for SF.)  The surroundings are beautiful, with lots of open space.  Pick ups and drop offs are super easy.

Whether you're committed to Mandarin immersion education, or just want an enriching and caring experience for your kid, check out this school!

Ms. Wang is a wonderful teacher.  She cares deeply about children and has tons of energy.  She's very patient and fun when teaching her students.  In addition, she's great colleague that I have the honor of working with for four years.  I will miss her deeply.

​We are very thankful to have found this school!  Our daughter has been attending this school for just over 6 months now.  She looks forward to going each morning, and we have noticed an incredible improvement in her Mandarin vocabulary since she began attending.  Her social skills with other children have also greatly improved since her enrollment. 

We really appreciate the updates we get from the school throughout the day through the Brightwheel app, which include pictures of our child, the two meals served each day, as well as notes about the day's lesson plans.  Each month has a different theme to the lessons, and this is shared with the parents each month through a newsletter (which also includes a vocabulary list).  Each season also includes an enrichment activity for the students, such as gymnastics or music, which our daughter has really enjoyed. 

We truly feel that Wang Laoshi and the other staff care about our daughter's wellbeing as well as her education, and invest time and attention in ensuring the lessons are effective, fun and engaging for the students.  We feel secure sending her to this school, and confident that she will be safe and happy.  We are very thankful to have found the school.

Our daughter has been attending this school for close to two years now. We have had a very positive experience with the school, primarily because of the head teacher Ms. Wang.

When searching for a school, we knew we wanted not just a daycare or preschool, but also a partner to help us navigate first-time parenthood and help our daughter develop. Ms. Wang has been a great fit as she's been more than just a teacher and we really view her as a "member of our team". Two callouts from our time at the school:

1. Ms. Wang is very attuned to each child's needs and personality. During parent-teacher conferences, she provides detailed reports on each student's progress, along with anecdotes that support each growth milestone. Early on she noticed my daughter's reserved personality and has been mindful of helping her build confidence. She's taught her how to express her feelings such as "I'm feeling nervous and need a few minutes" which has helped our daughter become very emotionally attuned to herself and others.

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2. Being a former public school teacher, Ms. Wang communicates well with parents and understands the SF education system. Our daughter is approaching kindergarten age and Ms. Wang has been a helpful resource to understand our options for mandarin immersion schooling. She's gone above and beyond in providing us with resources and coaching throughout the process.

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Overall, I cannot say enough about Ms. Wang's positive impact on our daughter's growth and development. I highly recommend this school to any family looking for a nurturing and supportive environment for their child.

We are so lucky to have found this school. I leave everyday knowing that my child is in good hands and upon pick up, she doesn't want to leave!

I was drawn to this mandarin immersion program by Wang Laoshi's extensive teaching experience, nurturing character and fun project-based curriculum.

Having taught at a mandarin-immersion school with SFUSD, she knows what is expected of kindergarteners and ensures that the kids are well-prepared from the get go.

The transition from home to preschool was a bit rough for my little one at the beginning, and Wang Laoshi was nothing but patient and comforting. She genuinely cares about the well-being of each child.

Wang Laoshi picks out the most fabulous books to read and engages the kids in creative activities/crafts that all align with a monthly theme. The monthly newsletters outline the agenda including activities, books and Chinese vocabulary words. This is such a great resource if you want to follow along or reinforce their learning.

The kids get fresh air and exercise with daily trips to the park/playground and weekly trips to the library. She offers enrichment programs such as music/piano class which my child really enjoys. When she learns a new song, she can't wait to sing it to me in mandarin.

One of the highlights of my day is receiving photos/videos and getting a glimpse of my child's day. It's been fun watching her grow socially and hearing her expanding mandarin vocabulary. A big bonus is that the school offers nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks), which makes my life so much easier.

Most importantly, it looks like the kids are having fun while learning Chinese at the same time!

Many thanks to Wang Laoshi and her staff for creating such a wonderful and enriching program for the kids. I highly recommend this school for anyone who is considering a mandarin-immersion pre-school.

​Finding a mandarin immersion preschool was important to our family as my husband speaks mandarin and we wanted to establish early exposure and fluency to the language. We looked into all (about 6) of the mandarin immersion schools in relative proximity to us (Glen Park) and we found Wang lao shi’s program to be the right balance of play and learning that we're looking for. Not all schools we toured had a head teacher that had the ability to communicate perfectly in Mandarin and English- Wang Lao Shi speaks both languages fluently which was comforting to me as a non-mandarin speaker.

Our son has been a student at this program since October 2021 and we couldn't be happier with our choice. It was initially a bit of a tough transition for our family; it took our son a longer time than we expected to adjust to daycare from being close to us at home and in the care of his nanny. Wang Lao Shi and the other teachers were compassionate and considerate during this transition and really seemed to understand how to soothe him and what he needed from his very first day.

Our 2.5-year-old now speaks Mandarin fluently but is also learning and growing from the rich experiences at this school. We love the weekly piano sing alongs the children do with the piano teacher. They go to the local public library for story time twice a week and to a local park for play at the playground nearly daily. In addition, there are tons of fun arts and crafts and monthly/weekly themes to encourage and make learning fun. The other month, all the children were gifted bug catchers by the school and went around the local open space area finding and learning about bugs. At the end of that month all the kids took home their bug catchers, our little one now has a keen eye (and mandarin vocabulary) for all your common bugs and is excited to tell fun facts (like how many legs they have) about them!

We also love the application that this school uses, Brightwheel, and we receive regular updates and photos daily from school. We also can't speak highly enough of Wang Lao Shi, the head teacher and founder as well as all the other teachers at the school. Wang Lao Shi has a great background in childhood education and goes above and beyond to find fun, creative ways to enrich the curriculum for all the children. She's incredibly attentive and seems to have an undeniable passion for the development of all the children in her care. We feel very lucky to have found Wong Lao Shi and her school and we plan to keep our son at this school until he starts kindergarten.

After talking to Ms. Wang during the orientation, I knew immediately that she was an excellent teacher and that my daughter would thrive in her class. My expectations did not disappoint. It has been a year since she started the class and my daughter’s mandarin language skills has improved considerably. She also engages her students with plenty of artwork, music, and hands on learning. Now she’s even learning math at school. Looking at my daughter I’m really impressed at her overall learning development this past year. I sent my daughter to this program during the pandemic. I really liked how the facility was clean and the staff prioritized safety. Little details such as applying sunscreen for outdoor time and helping my daughter with special food requests showed the school’s care for each student. I would highly recommend this program for anyone who is considering a mandarin immersion preschool.

We were lucky to have Ms. Wang as my daughter's second-grade teacher at Starr King. It says a lot that she was popular with both the kids and the parents alike. Ms. Wang is a gem. She's a savvy and fun educator who seems adept at multitasking, and as a mother of two boys, she understands kids well. In our experience, we found her to be astute in gauging personality types and learning styles, and I was always impressed at how often she would attend afterschool events, on her own time, to show support for her current and former students at things like recitals and other performances. For example, our child participated in the SF Chinese New Year Parade--a very crowded event during which I managed to see our group from the sidewalk only for a brief couple minutes. But afterward, my daughter excitedly told me she saw Ms. Wang not once or twice, but three times! Apparently, even with her own young kids in tow, she hurried alongside the Starr King group for a little bit so they would notice her cheering them on. Ultimately, Ms. Wang takes a lot of pride in what she does, and when the kids realize she believes in them and is always genuinely rooting for them, it makes a difference.

One of my happiest hours of the week is picking up my grandchild from Wang Laoshi’s school.  When the weather is good, kids play in the backyard, and my grandchild is mostly trying to stay longer, which I think is because school is a fun place.  In the meantime, Wang Laoshi or the teacher's aide takes the opportunity to update me on my grandchild's daily status/activities.  No surprise, when we got home, my son/daughter-in-law have always known what happened at school, they are very aware of whatever happened/taught at school.

On the way home, my grandchild quite often sings songs she learns from school in Mandarin.  We would talk about school activities, new ways of counting, new Mandarin words, etc.  My grandchild is happy, proud, positive, and loves all classmates and all teachers.

We can feel Wang Laoshi's enthusiasm for education and her and the school staff's love and care toward children.  We really appreciate her school providing an excellent school experience for my grandchild.

Betty C

My son was Ms. Wang's student.  My son went to Starr King with no experience in Mandarin.  Ms. Wang opened his world of language and made him confident in learning.  She was very loving, kind and patient towards my son.  Ms. Wang is the kind of teacher that you remember for the rest of your life.  She is wonderful with children, especially young age.  She puts social emotions first.   Once kids feel confident and secure, they will love to learn and learn well.  Her loving kindness creates a joyful learning environment.  My son loves learning Mandarin from her.  We were always happy.

Ms. Wang quickly becomes a ‘favorite teacher’ amongst her students.  She’s a dedicated, artistic, and engaged instructor.  Her teaching methodology takes into account the different learning styles of each pupil and an always interactive classroom keeps kids on an upward learning trajectory.  While enrolled in Ms. Wang’s class our son improved his Mandarin language acquisition exponentially.  Through her well executed curriculum he was well prepared for the next grade level, and has continued to excel academically.

Wang lao shi is an amazing teacher. She is not only caring, but makes learning fun. She nurtured the growth on both our children academically while supporting their social emotional development.

和王老师共事的这几年，我觉得她细心，耐心，有爱心的品质展现得淋漓尽致。作为教育工作者，王老师因材施教，诲人不倦；作为两个孩子的母亲，她谆谆教导，以身作则；作为朋友，她更是关怀备至，风雨同舟。一加一是二，但一加一也是王，如同王老师的善良和博爱，感染着每一个，快乐幸福无限循环。

​Our son joined this school this summer amidst the coronavirus re-opening of childcare centers. We have been extremely impressed with Ms. Wang and feel fortunate that our son has been in Ms. Wang's care.  Ms. Wang is a smart, engaged, interactive, and dependable teacher.  She has a natural energy that paired well with the kids.  What we especially loved was her range of activities for the kids.  In addition to the usual indoor and outdoor time, the kids go on daily walks and engage with the small (bugs, flowers) and observe the large (construction vehicles) treasures in their environment.  She prepares and cooks meals for the kids.  In addition to speaking in and teaching Mandarin throughout the day, she also uses her SFUSD background for math, science, and other academic lessons.  She is atop regulations, especially those related to COVID-19, and we feel comfortable and safe having our son in her care.  Ms. Wang kept us updated on our son's activities, eating, and nap schedule throughout the day with pictures and updates, and it was reassuring seeing him so happy in her care.

We are very happy with our experience at this school. Ms. Wang is extremely thorough with the school curriculum; she shares an academic calendar with parents at the beginning of each month to inform you about the topics kids will be learning, as well as a list of new Mandarin vocabulary, and book titles that she utilizes during the sessions. This has been particularly helpful as we lack background in the language/culture. Though our son has only been at this school for 4 months he doesn't struggle to repeat sentences in mandarin when asked. We are often given videos of such encouragement. He has acquired some level of understanding of the language, as he is able to follow commands when Ms. Wang and the teachers talk to him at drop off/pick up time.

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We are usually the first parents to drop off and have experienced reasonable wait time. When we have asked for special early pick up time or late drop off we have always been accommodated. Ms. Wang makes herself available to discuss our son's development and offer thoughtful feedback. Communication is great, and we feel like we are not missing out on our son's day while at work. Updates mostly occur during our son's scheduled nap time (2-4pm) - which I personally prefer since I'd rather have Ms. Wang using that time for this activity, than while the kids are awake. Other communications occur instantly; I appreciate very much when Ms. Wang provides me with pictures and explanations for my boy's little scratches, both for the ones that occur at pre-school and for pre-existing ones that might have happened at home.

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The program includes a piano teacher that sings songs to the kids once a week (English and Mandarin) and visits to the local library (2x a week) for story time. If you live in the area and have had a chance to check it out, it is very interactive and stimulating. As a parent you are invited to participate in "parent expert visit" (not mandatory) and teach something fun to the kids, this can be done in Mandarin or English - we have found that parents are very dedicated, thoughtful, and creative. Recently kids were taught to differentiate between candy and pills, and funny colorful liquids that can be harmful. Ms. Wang also implements learning about safety in earthquake simulations and pedestrian/traffic safety on their everyday outdoor explorations.

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Ms. Wang encourages kids to reach age appropriate milestones. She expects them to help remove their shoes at a certain age and apply their own sunscreen; these little tasks play a big role in fostering independence and building self-esteem. Our boy struggled to hold hands and walk more than a block on his own. We have improved so much in these 4 months and it's thanks to the active feedback, tips and support from Ms. Wang.

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Most importantly you will like to know my son's feedback about his own experience at this school. He is quite a talker in Spanish and English so we interrogate him constantly. When asked to choose between his previous daycare (attended for 1 year and 2 months) vs. his new preschool (new language introduced and new friends) he always chooses "The preschool." Sometimes he does complain a bit because: "you have to go back from the park" - in his opinion he should always be at the park watching the trains.

We have two boys at Ms. Wang’s program. Our 4.5 yr old son started there two years ago, and his 2 yr old brother joined him almost a year ago. My husband and I don't speak Mandarin, and we agree that we want our kids to be fluent in Mandarin.

First Mandarin proficiency; everywhere we go, people compliment our oldest son's Mandarin language skills and say he speaks like a native. At home, he plays and speaks Mandarin to his little brother. And now his little brother is starting to say basic sentences in Mandarin. Whenever we try to say some words in Mandarin, if we don't pronounce them correctly, he tells us, "repeat after me" (and then pronounce the words in a very clear intonation). I am a native speaker of Bahasa Indonesia, and I speak it with the boys at home, and their father speaks English to them. Still, Mandarin has become his first language by far. Having someone who has an educator background like Ms. Wang makes all the difference. She designs her program very carefully and follows the education department's guidance. Not only does our oldest son speak like a native, but he can also now read basic Mandarin characters. During the reading time before they go to sleep, our oldest son would read a whole book in Mandarin to his little brother, and they communicate in Mandarin. And whenever we tell him to tell his little brother in Mandarin, he would do it no problem.  This makes us very proud and grateful to have found this school.  

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If you are looking for a Mandarin immersion preschool for your child- look no further.

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Below are the other observations that we have about this school:

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- Communication: We receive daily mixed photos and updates through the Brightwheel app. There is also information about their meals, nap times, photos of their activities, and detailed written explanations of the books they read (it's nice to know so we can discuss this with the kids after we pick them up or during dinner time). Sometimes Ms. Wang will also send some videos to us. There are two parent-teacher conferences yearly with reports & detailed information about our children's progress. But if we need anything or have any urgent questions, we can always email or call her to discuss them immediately. Trust & visibility is never an issue for us.

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- Curriculum: There are many activities to stimulate their motor and social skills, starting from book reading, doing arts and crafts, you name it. Ms. Wang sends out a monthly newsletter and the vocabulary list for the month at the beginning of the month.  The newsletter contains themes (the theme of the books they are reading- for example, for the month of July are about how to express feelings), stories (books that they read- about 7/8 books), activities, announcements, important dates, and reminders for the month.

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- Enrichment activity: The children would go for a walk to a park & exploring the neighborhood on the way there every day before their lunchtime. They have an abundance of time outside, which we think is excellent. This school is located in a neighborhood with many parks and clean streets (we can't emphasize enough how important this part is, our oldest son's first daycare is located downtown- he never got to experience walking to a local park).  There are also various activities offered, such as weekly gymnastics (outside at a children's gym close by), and piano class (a professional piano teacher would come to the school, and the kids would sing and dance to the songs played on the piano).  One time we also went to the zoo as a group along with other parents, and it was an excellent time for all the families.

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- Facility: The class itself is immaculate, and it is spacious. There is enough space for the kids to walk around and play together while still under teachers' supervision. There are also plenty of books, toys, and educational gadgets. There is a backyard where the children go to play at the end of the day while waiting for the parents to pick them up.  

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- Meals: There are two main meals served during the day and a snack. Ms. Wang follows the nutrition guide given by the education department; she always ensures a balanced diet in the meals.

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- Holidays: They have a regular holiday schedule compared to other preschools. We don't have any extended family or additional nannies for support, so we appreciate greatly, for example, that they only have two days off for Thanksgiving while other preschools would typically take the whole week off. The list of their holiday can be found on their website.

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Every parent has different expectations and standards regarding their child. What is important to note is that Ms. Wang is open to hearing all suggestions and implementing changes as needed.

We hope this review will help parents who are researching a Mandarin immersion preschool. We know we were grateful for all the reviews we read when deciding to choose a preschool for our boys.

I don't know how my family got so lucky as to have had Ms. Wang as a Mandarin teacher and mentor. She is incredible at her craft and is exactly the kind of teacher any parent would love their child to have: a patient, kind, inclusive, and caring teacher with a knack for making learning lots of fun!

Ms. Wang deeply understands child development. Under her leadership, children feel seen and valued for the individuals they are. She made me feel part of a team effort in my son's growth and generously shared insights about him that I found to be most helpful.

Ms. Wang deserves much praise and appreciation for the positive impact she has left on my family and lots of other families. Your family will be fortunate to have her and her staff too.

I cannot recommend A Star Bridge Mandarin preschool enough! My child has been attending this school for over a year now, and we are absolutely thrilled with the experience.

First and foremost, the teachers are outstanding. They are all native Mandarin speakers and are incredibly warm, kind, and patient with the children. They create a safe and nurturing environment where the children can learn and grow, both academically and socially.

The curriculum is fantastic. The children learn Mandarin through songs, stories, games, and activities, which makes learning fun and engaging. My child has made so much progress in their language skills since starting at this school, and we are thrilled to see them becoming fluent in Mandarin.

The facilities are top-notch. The classrooms are bright, spacious, and well-equipped with everything the children need to learn and play. The outdoor play area is also fantastic, with plenty of room for the children to run around and play.

The community at this school is wonderful. The other parents are friendly and welcoming, and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in school activities and events.

Overall, we are so happy that we chose this school for our child's preschool education. It has been an incredible experience for our family, and we cannot recommend this school highly enough. Five stars all around!