芽芽華語
Ya-Ya online
Commonly Asked Questions
I'd like to learn more about the program, will you host virtual open house?
You may click here to watch the virtual open house recording. If you have more questions, please feel free to contact us here.
Do I have to be with my child during online classes?
If your child is registered for a class that requires a hands-on project (Ya-Ya Cheetah or Beaver Art), you must supervise your child during the hands-on project component. For the other components, the goal is to support and guide your child to attend the class without your close presence (but a grownup should always supervise from a distance in the same room for safety). In the beginning, your support and encouragement for your child are ESSENTIAL in helping your child to adapt to virtual learning. Like everything new, some children are fast to adapt and some prefer to observe and take longer time to adapt. With time and patient guidance from our teachers, we are optimistic that many children can adapt to the new world of learning!
How do I know which Ya-Ya class is suitable for my child?
You can always email us by providing background information of your child and family (the more detailed the better), or set up a private virtual meeting to consult our experienced education team for guidance! In general, if your child is new to our Ya-Ya program, new to Mandarin language, or just new to virtual learning, we recommend starting with our 1-hour classes like Beaver Art or Squirrel Science. Beaver Art class (materials are included in tuition) is suitable for children who enjoy making things with their hands, and interested in art projects. Squirrel Science (materials not included) is suitable for children who prefer more quiet observation and enjoy watching demonstrations related to natural science.
Do you group the children by age and Mandarin ability?
Yes, our education team takes into many factors when placing our students into different groups, based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to age, Mandarin ability and background, or any past experience with Mandarin Seeds. Please trust our education team in making the best grouping decision for your child. Each Ya-Ya group is guaranteed to be capped at 6 kids.
Can I switch my child to a different group or class time?
We will not be able to accommodate switching class or group based on parental preferences of class time or teacher. There will be an initial phase-in period (3-4 weeks time) when our teachers will get to know every child and work with every family in helping your child make adjustments and adapt to our programs. After this initial phase-in period of assessment, if our education team thinks that it is better for your child to switch to a different group or a different class, we will set up a parent-teacher conference first to discuss and offer options for you to consider. Our education team works very hard to get to know every child and every family well! We strive to do our best in making the best decision for your child.
We also want to note that since our virtual programs are on a short semester-by-semester system, you can consider switching to a different type of class or time for the next semester.
Do we need to prepare our own class materials?
It depends on the type of class you registered for your child. For Ya-Ya Cheetah and Beaver Art class, the materials are included in the tuition and they will be mailed to you. For all the other types of classes (Squirrel Science, Bear Story, Mini Club), materials are not included. However, a “materials list” for each type of class will be published on our Parent Login page and parents have the option to prepare the materials at home or your child may simply enjoy watching the show & tell demonstration during the project segment.
Our family does not speak Mandarin. How do we help our child with remote learning?
We provide a password-protected Parent Login page with many supporting materials, such as videos (of short segments from the Ya-Ya class) created by our Ya-Ya teachers, vocabulary sheets, external resources, etc. The support videos created by our teachers are designed to be similar to “class-on-demand” and they are helpful for reviewing your child’s favorite class segment again, or when your child misses a class or a segment of the class.