How to Choose the best Chinese school

Because of the continuous increase in the demand on learning Chinese worldwide, Chinese schools in the US spring like bamboo shoots. For Chinese-American families, it's a no-brainer that their child goes to a Chinese school but there are also non-Chinese families who see learning Chinese as a great opportunity for their child's growth and thus choose to enroll their children to Chinese lessons. Good education is the most valuable investment that parents can provide for their children that's why the most important question comes to mind, "how to choose the best Chinese school?"
This article aims to provide some ideas on how to painlessly choose the best Chinese school for you and your child.

1. Your first decision should be which Chinese language you want your child to learn. Mandarin is the most known Chinese language and Cantonese is a dialect. Most school teach different curricula depending on what dialect you prefer.

2. Then decide if you want to enroll your child in a long term course or short term course. This way you can narrow down your choices to formative schools or summer programs or immersion classes.
3. Research is key. Search for feedbacks about the Chinese school/program. Parents nowadays are internet savvy and anything school related is worth blogging for some so chances are high on getting the information you need.

4. Know the curriculum offered in a certain Chinese school and compare. Choose what suits your child's learning habit. It is also important that you believe in the school's teaching method as you will be working hand in hand with them. Make sure that they use good textbooks like New Practical Chinese Reader, or Kuaile Hanyu ,and that their other resources for your child to learn are up to date.


5. Take a tour of the school and observe the environment if it's conducive for learning and if the surroundings are safe for children.

6. Ask for trial classes that your child could join to test the waters. You will never know what will work unless your child actually tries a class on that school.

7. Consider your child's choices as well. If he/she is old enough to express his/her opinions, hear them. Then choose the best school that both of you agree on.

8. Check the competency of the school and its staff. Make sure they have proper school permits and that the teachers and teacher aides are with proper education, license and training as well.

9. Talk to the adviser to be/ teacher to be of your child. It's better to build rapport as early on because you are entrusting your child's education to him/her.

10. Lastly, if you narrowed down the lists and zeroed in on your top 3 schools, list the pros and cons such as the tuition, the time of travel, the time of the class, etc.

If by this time you still don't know where to start searching for the best Chinese school, you might want to check ChildBook's Chinese school finder in the US and Canada.