Chinese School (Fremont, CA)?

Question

I have a 7 month old daughter. I would like to enroll her on learning Chinese/Mandarin Language. Please advise if you know any school in Fremont, CA that I will be able to enroll her at the early age around one or two years old.

Answer 1

It is amazing to me that a 1-2 year old will be ready for school. I thought they would be ready at about age three or four. I'm not up-to-date, am I?

In the SF Bay area, you are in the thick of the Chinese culture but 90 percent of it is Cantonese or Mandarine with a Cantonese accent. In a school for toddlers, there will be many voices and most will not be correct articulation and tones Mandarine. You should consider a tutor or in-home nanny who is from northern China. Someone with a college degree would be good, particularly from East China Normal University that prepares students for teaching Chinese overseas. Although it is in Shanghai, most of the students have learned to speak standard Putonghua without the Shanghai accent.

It is a false notion that language is learned better at 2 years than 6 years. Almost any age below 12 is fine. Psychological inhibitions that begin to set in around puberty, rather than brain plasticity, is the real hurdle for older learners.