WhereToLearnChinese is a directory of places in the San Francisco Bay Area for learning the Chinese language. In the directory, you will find schools, classes, afterschool programs, and activities for children as well as classes and activities for adults. These places are intended for both "heritage" learners who have some background speaking at home with family as well as Chinese as a Second Language learners who do not have any Chinese-language background. Most of the places teach Mandarin (both traditional and simplified characters) but the directory also includes some places which teach Cantonese and Taiwanese.
As an ABC (American Born Chinese), I have struggled with learning Chinese throughout life including attending Saturday morning Chinese School as a child in Illinois and later in New Jersey, attending the Mandarin Training Center in Taipei for 6 months, taking mandarin classes in college and evening classes as an adult at Foothill College and the Language Institute, and organizing group classes with a private tutor in Mountain View. After becoming a mother, I became determined that my two children would learn to speak Chinese better than me and hopefully without the same struggle. Luckily, the San Francisco Bay Area has so many great opportunities to learn Chinese including immersion preschools, public school immersion programs, Chinese classes and libraries for adults and kids, and exposure to Chinese culture and people. I created WhereToLearnChinese.com to help us share and discover great places for learning Chinese in our community.
The directory was assembled by compiling a number of sources including recommendations from Bay Area parent discussion groups, the Association of Northern California Chinese Schools member list, and a list of schools from the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council.
If you have studied at one of these places, please leave a review so that others can benefit from your experience.
If you know of a place great for learning Chinese which is not included in the directory, please submit it on the Add a Listing form. After reviewing the listing, I'll post it to the site.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or want to correct a listing, please send me your feedback.
Tracy Chu
