1. Can you please tell us your philosophy and the basic premise of the school?

• Sunshine School is a bilingual (Chinese and English) pre-school, after school and summer camp dedicated to increase children's inspiration, creativity, ability to express and desire to discover new possibilities. We have been in service since 1998 providing high-quality programs and activities for children age 2 months old to 8th Grade.
• Our philosophy is to create a friendly, supportive atmosphere where children feel encouraged to develop new skills, enhance old talents, and establish positive, lasting relationships with peers and their teachers

2. How do you think it's different from other schools?

• Sunshine School places great emphasis on balance and encouraging a well-rounded student. We educate in subjects all across the board. Academically, we offer homework assistance and tutoring in all subjects. We also offer extracurricular classes such as clay art, western drawing, dance, soccer, Chinese language, drama, music, chess and more! In addition to specific courses, character development (leadership, responsibility, self-confidence, cooperation, etc.) and social skill building are supported and assured.
• Sunshine School creates a caring, supportive atmosphere that always reminds students that they are FUN, they are KIND, and they are SMART!

3. What is your Child/Teacher Ratio?

• The State of California allows us to have 12 students for each teacher. At Sunshine School we feel that the children benefit from a smaller class size, which allows the teachers to spend more one-on-one time with each student. In our schools, we enroll a maximum of 10 students for each teacher. We also have qualified teacher’s aides to assist the lead teacher in supervision.

4. Can you explain a little bit about method of education?

• Every classroom has a daily schedule. A chaotic setting confuses children and makes it difficult for them to know what to expect and how to behave. Clear structure helps children feel secure and encourages skills building. A predictable schedule — one with a good balance of activities — helps children know what will happen throughout the day and helps their confidence and self-control.
• We don't use one specific set of curriculum materials. We have an extensive library of the latest resources available for our teachers as they plan their lessons and activities.

5. What is the daily schedule for a child?

• For our preschool program, our sample daily schedule is as follows:

• For our after school program, our sample daily schedule is as follows:

• For our summer program, our sample daily schedule is as follows:

6. How do you deal with challenging kids? What are your disciplining methods?

• Sunshine School is an advocate of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement allows the children to grow more confident, self reliant, and independent. It is more effective when teachers use rewards and verbal affirmation to encourage students, instead of punishment or negative reinforcement.

7. What kind of background do you expect from your teachers?

• A program is only as good as its staff. To make sure candidates meet our stringent requirements we assess their teaching philosophy and style, as well as education, training and experience. We also require a criminal history check to ensure the safety of our students. We want administrators and teachers who are nurturing, responsive and committed to knowing parents and their children. It's also very important that our teachers know how to build children's interests in order to guide their learning.

8. How is the ethnic mix in your school? Do you welcome all?

• Learners from all cultures are welcome at our schools.

9. Do you think a well-rounded child can be expected as they graduate from your school?

• Our programming and supportive environment aims to encourage children to participate in activities and experiences planned to benefit them cognitively, emotionally, physically, and socially.
• Special emphasis is placed on establishing a child's self-esteem and confidence. We do this by designing our programs to cover a wide range of age-appropriate activities that foster our core character values: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

10. Do you have any summer specials?

• We have summer specials available for our summer program only

11. Any upcoming open houses?

• School tours can be scheduled at anytime by contacting us through email or phone

12. What is your message to our readers?

• Sunshine School is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment that allows each child to develop a healthy spirit, mind, and body. Sunshine is simply a great place for bright minds with bright futures.