Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Most of the parents I know do not have au pairs or tutors. Some use Chinese apps and movies. The school makes a real effort to provide supplemental materials - Chinese reading apps, aftercare choices in Chinese, etc. that are free. I teach myself the three and four skilled characters and drill my kids myself. There are also camps and weekend classes that are not free, but certainly not as pricey as tutoring or as involved as an au pair.

+1. Same and DS is entering 4th grade. Neither of us know Mandarin and it's fine. We figure if DS did not go to YY, his knowledge of Mandarin would be zero nevermind a bad accent.

DH and I are both bilingual so the only common language in our household is English. We figure any weaknesses in DS's mandarin will be easily correctable after a summer and/or semester aboard in China when he is older.

Why can't he/she be both?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all. We are enrolled at CMI and now #3 on wait list for YY. We are not explicitly committed to Mandarin, but research demonstrates that learning another language has benefits. I'm really interested in the other qualities of the school though: how will it work for a shy, high achieving kid? MV was our first choice, and we'd accept in a heartbeat as my husband is a native Spanish speaker, but alas, we are #21 and won't get in

Right, problem is your average YY kid doesn't exactly learn another language; they learn to write and recognize a lot of characters. It's an awkward subject at the school, but it's not uncommon for parents to find that a YY student who's been earning good grades in Chinese can barely communicate with native speakers from outside the school community (those not speaking textbook Mandarin slowly). Hiring native-speaking adults to supplement on a regular basis--the only thing that really works--is not a cheap or easy path to travel. If parents don't do this, most kids will struggle to speak and understand everyday Chinese even after years at YY. If you don't have the money or inclination to supplement, realize that your shy kid will be competing with outgoing, confident kids whose families host Mandarin-speaking au pairs year in and year out. Some YY kids shut down on Chinese, refusing to speak outside of class.

You could probably crack a Spanish immersion charter next year, or for K, if you keep playing the lottery. You could move in-boundary for Tyler or Oyster if you fail. Parents who are serious about Spanish but strike out out at MV and LAMB do move IB for Oyster. Some 2-bedroom apartments IB for Oyster rent for around 2K. Since hubbie is a native Spanish speaker (priceless), I'd go that route.

YY parent here. What do you think YY could do differently while balancing the reality of 1) no preference for native speakers 2) public charter lottery composed of DC residents 3) the need for the children to meet learning objectives in English?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Most of the parents I know do not have au pairs or tutors. Some use Chinese apps and movies. The school makes a real effort to provide supplemental materials - Chinese reading apps, aftercare choices in Chinese, etc. that are free. I teach myself the three and four skilled characters and drill my kids myself. There are also camps and weekend classes that are not free, but certainly not as pricey as tutoring or as involved as an au pair.

Are they in the younger grades (1st and under?)

I estimate that 5% of YY/DCI families have at least one adult Mandarin speaker speaking Chinese consistently to the kids, and requiring that they answer in it. Most YY "heritage" parents speak/accept English to kids, and families hosting Chinese au pairs generally let them speak/accept English. So-called heritage parents are generally too assimilated to identify as American Born Chinese (ABCs).

Native-speaking Chinese kids (whose Chinese-speaking parents don't speak English to them) almost never attend YY. They are the children of Chinese-speaking diplomats (generally at DCPS schools WotP) or from families using MoCo heritage Chinese schools (including the small Chinatown crowd). Maybe 20% of YY parents hire tutors and Mandarin-speaking babysitters, either on a regular basis or occasionally. Some do this and don't talk about it. Kids can earn high Chinese grades without speaking good Mandarin all the way through. YY certainly has its pluses, but upper grades kids can't speak the target language like at Oyster, LAMB, Mundo Verde etc. unless parents supplement aggressively by hiring native-speaking help year in and year out. Wish it were different.

Long answer - but this doesn't answer my question. I care about families that stick it out to the older grades at YY (2nd +) do they need to use tutors to keep up with the language (even if they have a Chinese speaker at home) .

Nope, they don't need tutors keep up. The school is set up for families who don't speak Chinese consistently at home and don't supplement. The Chinese emphasis at the school is on writing and grammar. Kids are being prepped to score OK on Standard Level IB Diploma Chinese by senior year at DCI. YY/DCI aren't aren't preparing kids to ace Higher Level IBD Mandarin as elsewhere in the country, particularly MoCo, NYC and Cal. If that's what you want, like almost all the YY parents, perfect. We're leaving for serious prep for HL IBD Mandarin at WIS.

You are either an a-hole or the most out of touch, tone deaf person on earth.

Preschool Tuition: $25,500
Pre-Kindergarten Tuition: $32,150
Kindergarten to Grade 5 Tuition: $33,900
Middle School Tuition (Grades 6-8): $37,780
Upper School Tuition (Grades 9-12): $38,330

Shocker, WIS probably has superior Chinese language offerings.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all. We are enrolled at CMI and now #3 on wait list for YY. We are not explicitly committed to Mandarin, but research demonstrates that learning another language has benefits. I'm really interested in the other qualities of the school though: how will it work for a shy, high achieving kid? MV was our first choice, and we'd accept in a heartbeat as my husband is a native Spanish speaker, but alas, we are #21 and won't get in

Right, problem is your average YY kid doesn't exactly learn another language; they learn to write and recognize a lot of characters. It's an awkward subject at the school, but it's not uncommon for parents to find that a YY student who's been earning good grades in Chinese can barely communicate with native speakers from outside the school community (those not speaking textbook Mandarin slowly). Hiring native-speaking adults to supplement on a regular basis--the only thing that really works--is not a cheap or easy path to travel. If parents don't do this, most kids will struggle to speak and understand everyday Chinese even after years at YY. If you don't have the money or inclination to supplement, realize that your shy kid will be competing with outgoing, confident kids whose families host Mandarin-speaking au pairs year in and year out. Some YY kids shut down on Chinese, refusing to speak outside of class.

You could probably crack a Spanish immersion charter next year, or for K, if you keep playing the lottery. You could move in-boundary for Tyler or Oyster if you fail. Parents who are serious about Spanish but strike out out at MV and LAMB do move IB for Oyster. Some 2-bedroom apartments IB for Oyster rent for around 2K. Since hubbie is a native Spanish speaker (priceless), I'd go that route.

OP here. Yes, we are incredibly lucky to be in such a good position. But if we are offered at YY, we will either free up a spot at CMI or YY, depending on the choice we make. We are #400+ at LAMB, which we would have ranked ahead of CMI and YY if they participated in combined lottery.

As an aside, this does a good job of pointing out how the combined lottery works.

The reason OP has such choices is that she had such a high draw in the lottery. Under the old system, you could score well with one school and poorly with another. Under this one, those with the best numbers get offered their schools in the order they ranked them, with the most available on offer and everything else on WL.

Still, it has to sting a little for those who got into their #12 and are looking at the WL for #11.

We can say that the consolidated lottery streamlines everything, but it used to be that if you struck out at one school you might still have a good shot at another. That's definitely no longer true.

OP here. Thank you all. We are enrolled at CMI and now #3 on wait list for YY. We are not explicitly committed to Mandarin, but research demonstrates that learning another language has benefits. I'm really interested in the other qualities of the school though: how will it work for a shy, high achieving kid? MV was our first choice, and we'd accept in a heartbeat as my husband is a native Spanish speaker, but alas, we are #21 and won't get in

Anonymous wrote:OP, you're thinking that if you enroll at CMI today or tomorrow, the computer will automatically boot your child off YY's prek3 WL, correct? Not a safe assumption based on our experience in a similar situation this time last year. In early Sept we got calls from 2 charters whose prek3 WLs we were supposed to have dropped off weeks before. I've heard many similar stories.

No, she's already enrolled at CMI and thinks she's getting close at YY. She ranked YY and MV higher than CMI.

Where are you on the MV list, OP? Where does MV fit in your calculations?

OP, you're thinking that if you enroll at CMI today or tomorrow, the computer will automatically boot your child off YY's prek3 WL, correct? Not a safe assumption based on our experience in a similar situation this time last year. In early Sept we got calls from 2 charters whose prek3 WLs we were supposed to have dropped off weeks before. I've heard many similar stories.

YY is trying to put more emphasis on speaking by finally starting kids in PreS3. It will help a little in the long-run but, yea, we're mired in relativism where speaking Mandarin goes. Federal charter law preventing a Chinese dominant lottery definitely doesn't help.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Most of the parents I know do not have au pairs or tutors. Some use Chinese apps and movies. The school makes a real effort to provide supplemental materials - Chinese reading apps, aftercare choices in Chinese, etc. that are free. I teach myself the three and four skilled characters and drill my kids myself. There are also camps and weekend classes that are not free, but certainly not as pricey as tutoring or as involved as an au pair.

Are they in the younger grades (1st and under?)

I estimate that 5% of YY/DCI families have at least one adult Mandarin speaker speaking Chinese consistently to the kids, and requiring that they answer in it. Most YY "heritage" parents speak/accept English to kids, and families hosting Chinese au pairs generally let them speak/accept English. So-called heritage parents are generally too assimilated to identify as American Born Chinese (ABCs).

Native-speaking Chinese kids (whose Chinese-speaking parents don't speak English to them) almost never attend YY. They are the children of Chinese-speaking diplomats (generally at DCPS schools WotP) or from families using MoCo heritage Chinese schools (including the small Chinatown crowd). Maybe 20% of YY parents hire tutors and Mandarin-speaking babysitters, either on a regular basis or occasionally. Some do this and don't talk about it. Kids can earn high Chinese grades without speaking good Mandarin all the way through. YY certainly has its pluses, but upper grades kids can't speak the target language like at Oyster, LAMB, Mundo Verde etc. unless parents supplement aggressively by hiring native-speaking help year in and year out. Wish it were different.

Long answer - but this doesn't answer my question. I care about families that stick it out to the older grades at YY (2nd +) do they need to use tutors to keep up with the language (even if they have a Chinese speaker at home) .

Nope, they don't need tutors keep up. The school is set up for families who don't speak Chinese consistently at home and don't supplement. The Chinese emphasis at the school is on writing and grammar. Kids are being prepped to score OK on Standard Level IB Diploma Chinese by senior year at DCI. YY/DCI aren't aren't preparing kids to ace Higher Level IBD Mandarin as elsewhere in the country, particularly MoCo, NYC and Cal. If that's what you want, like almost all the YY parents, perfect. We're leaving for serious prep for HL IBD Mandarin at WIS.

Anonymous wrote:Leaving the language aside for the moment, what is the school program for YY?

Are they an IB school?

yes

Leaving the language aside for the moment, what is the school program for YY?

Are they an IB school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Most of the parents I know do not have au pairs or tutors. Some use Chinese apps and movies. The school makes a real effort to provide supplemental materials - Chinese reading apps, aftercare choices in Chinese, etc. that are free. I teach myself the three and four skilled characters and drill my kids myself. There are also camps and weekend classes that are not free, but certainly not as pricey as tutoring or as involved as an au pair.

Are they in the younger grades (1st and under?)

I estimate that 5% of YY/DCI families have at least one adult Mandarin speaker speaking Chinese consistently to the kids, and requiring that they answer in it. Most YY "heritage" parents speak/accept English to kids, and families hosting Chinese au pairs generally let them speak/accept English. So-called heritage parents are generally too assimilated to identify as American Born Chinese (ABCs).

Native-speaking Chinese kids (whose Chinese-speaking parents don't speak English to them) almost never attend YY. They are the children of Chinese-speaking diplomats (generally at DCPS schools WotP) or from families using MoCo heritage Chinese schools (including the small Chinatown crowd). Maybe 20% of YY parents hire tutors and Mandarin-speaking babysitters, either on a regular basis or occasionally. Some do this and don't talk about it. Kids can earn high Chinese grades without speaking good Mandarin all the way through. YY certainly has its pluses, but upper grades kids can't speak the target language like at Oyster, LAMB, Mundo Verde etc. unless parents supplement aggressively by hiring native-speaking help year in and year out. Wish it were different.

Long answer - but this doesn't answer my question. I care about families that stick it out to the older grades at YY (2nd +) do they need to use tutors to keep up with the language (even if they have a Chinese speaker at home) .