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Mandarin Programs

Our Mandarin Bilingual programs give your child an exciting early start

Stratford’s newly expanded Mandarin Bilingual program for Preschool through Kindergarten builds upon foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts in our core STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) curriculum, and provides culturally-enriched activities that promote Mandarin language acquisition. Eager bilingual learners will also enjoy new school experiences while developing socialization skills.

Our immersive bilingual environment is designed to promote consistency and continuity for young learners. Stratford’s advanced curriculum is taught by speaking and instructing in Mandarin and English. This team teaching approach creates an inclusive and responsive space in which individual needs are met, ensuring students feel safe and secure to explore, take risks, and learn without limits.

Students explore problem-solving exercises with classmates, without a specified outcome or direction from the teacher, where they learn to build, test, fail, and try again.

In SMART circles, Preschool and Pre-kindergarten students learn the fundamentals essential for future success in mathematics.

With a piano in every classroom and specialty music instructors, our preschool students play, sing, and dance daily – developing motor skills, encouraging movement, and instilling an appreciation of the arts.

During daily SMART Phonics lessons, teachers ask critical questions, and utilize visual aids, songs, and movement to keep  students engaged.

Explore our Mandarin Programs Program and STEAM Curriculum

Mandarin Bilingual Preschool
Mandarin Bilingual Preschool

Our early learning Mandarin Chinese curriculum reinforces Stratford’s advanced program, building upon foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts in the core academic areas. The classroom environment intentionally balances verbal fluency, and instruction in Mandarin Chinese accounts for at least 50% of our students’ day.

Through a dedicated team teaching approach (one English and one Mandarin speaking), our teachers place a special emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy development while incorporating inquiry-based learning through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). Together, our teachers create an inclusive classroom in which individual needs are met, and students feel safe and secure to take risks within their learning.

Academic excellence and character development are of equal value to us at Stratford. We model and teach the five Confucian Values: kindness, goodness, honesty, modesty, wisdom, and trustworthiness, while fostering an early sense of self-identity, belonging, and self-value that we hope carries students through their entire lives.

Mandarin Bilingual Pre-Kindergarten
Mandarin Bilingual Pre-Kindergarten

In the second year of this immersive five-days per week bilingual program, Stratford’s curriculum continues to promote consistency and continuity, taught by a two-teacher team. In Pre-kindergarten, students focus on listening, speaking, reading (character recognition), writing (with about thirty of the most commonly used characters), and an introduction to stroke order.

Mandarin Bilingual Elementary
Mandarin Bilingual Elementary

Stratford’s Mandarin Bilingual Elementary curriculum reinforces our innovative and advanced STEAM-infused elementary program while building upon foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts in core academic areas. The study of Mandarin Chinese integrates language learning and cultural exploration to help develop confident, bi-literate students who are well-equipped with the knowledge and skills it takes to make meaningful connections and thrive in a global world.

Specialty Class
Specialty Class

Our Mandarin world language specialty enriches our students’ school experience and future-ready lives. Through our approach to developing students’ communication and cultural competencies, students are poised and prepared to take on a multilingual world.

Twice a week, students are immersed in one of the oldest and widely spoken languages in the world during our world language time. Teachers capitalize on the optimal bi-literacy window, providing opportunities for students to develop in their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Our joyful, rigorous, and personalized approach to Mandarin instruction ensures that students make progress whether they are new or experienced within the language through our two offerings: Heritage and Non-Heritage.

After School Program
After School Program

Our fully immersive Mandarin after-school program provides families with the care that they need while students develop cultural and language competencies.

Five-days a week, our fully qualified after-school teachers facilitate fun, meaningful, and content-enriched learning, enabling students to fully immerse in the language. Children will delight and grow in their communication skills through weekly planned activities, such as:

  • Chinese Arts and Crafts: Chinese Calligraphy and Watercolor
  • Chinese Dance: Folk and Kung Fu Dance
  • Chinese Games: Chess and Yo-Yo
  • Chinese Traditions: Cooking and Tea Ceremonies

In addition to our rich and robust after-school activities, students will be provided with homework support, making connections between English and Mandarin concepts.

Find Your Mandarin Programs Campus

Our Mandarin programs are offered at select campuses throughout the Bay Area and Southern California.

  • Northern California: 22 schools
  • Southern California: 2 schools
Find Your Campus