Early Years
Where the Love of Learning Begins
The earliest years shape how a child feels about learning for life. Our work is to make that feeling begin with joy, curiosity, and the quiet confidence of exploring and growing in two languages from the very start. Our whole-child approach nurtures confidence and independence across every area of development, giving your child a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Preschool Levels
Pre-2
2 Year Olds
Pre-2
Our two-year-old program takes young children on a journey of curiosity and exploration at our YCIS Early Childhood campus. At this stage of a child's development, we value the time and space to build positive, personal relationships between children and their teachers. Our whole-child approach nurtures confidence and independence across every area of development, giving your child a strong foundation for life.
Information on the program
- Choice of half-day or whole-day program
- 5 sessions per week
- Campus open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with half-days running 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Teacher-to-child ratio of 1:8
- Lunch may be brought from home or purchased through our catering service
- Two nutritious snacks provided daily
A Typical School Day
Our Early Childhood campus is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a gentle, flexible rhythm and a longer nap for our youngest learners. A typical day weaves together free-choice exploration, outdoor play, small-group activities, and whole-group gathering times, with afternoon enrichment such as music and dance along the way.
Co-Teaching Model
Every classroom is home to a co-teaching team: one English-speaking and one Mandarin-speaking teacher, each speaking their native language with the children, supported by a fully qualified assistant. Working as equals, they build a joyful, inclusive environment where both languages are valued and children begin, from their very first years, to move easily between two cultures.
Inquiry-Based Learning
Learning here begins with a child's own questions and natural curiosity about the world. Teachers listen closely, then design experiences that let children dig deeper, and it is not unusual to see a corner of the classroom transformed into a jungle, a doctor's office, or a pizza restaurant as an idea takes hold. Teachers may organize field trips to extend learning beyond the classroom with a visit to a zoo, or even invite an expert such as a NASA astronaut to visit.
Play and Exploration
We believe playful learning is how young children learn best. Through play, both child-led and gently guided, children make sense of the world, put their ideas into action, learn to get along with others, and discover the quiet satisfaction of mastering something new.
Seven Areas of Learning
With a whole-child approach, learning activities are designed around nurturing children in seven areas of learning:
- Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Home and School Connections
For a young child, school is a home away from home. That is why our partnership with families is central to what makes YCIS unique. Teachers share the journey through photo-rich newsletters, individual portfolios, progress reports, and parent-teacher conferences. Parents are always welcome to volunteer as room parents, chaperone field trips, and support the efforts of the YCIS Parent Organization.
Pre-3
3-4 Year Olds
Pre-3
The world starts opening up for 3 and 4 year-olds. They are ready to ask questions, and we build the day around them. Through play, both guided and free, children learn to share, to take turns, and to work through big feelings, while their confidence and speaking ability in both English and Mandarin take flight.
Early Childhood Development
Our classrooms and co-teachers offer many daily opportunities for children to explore and develop. Children have extended periods of play to follow their interests in a safe school setting, and the classrooms are carefully designed so they can explore according to those interests while being introduced to early concepts in math, communication, and the arts
Everything that shapes our Pre-2 program continues here, growing with your child:
- The same co-teaching model, one English and one Mandarin teacher in every classroom
- Inquiry-based learning that follows each child's curiosity
- The seven areas of learning, from literacy and math to expressive arts
- Playful, hands-on days with outdoor time and enrichment
- A close home-and-school partnership through portfolios and conferences
Visit our Pre-2 overview for a deeper dive into our early years curriculum.
TK
4-5 years old
Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
The YCIS TK program is the bridge between preschool and Kindergarten, for four- and five-year-olds. We prepare your child with developmentally appropriate opportunities to learn and grow, strengthening the confidence, focus, and early skills that make the step ahead feel exciting rather than daunting. Early reading, early math, and social growth all take shape through hands-on, joyful learning.
A Typical School Day
Like our preschool, the TK day unfolds within our 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. campus hours, with a gently growing sense of structure. Inquiry-based learning evolves from the emergent play of preschool into more focused, project-based work built around three guiding ideas, relationships, systems, and change, that connect children to the world around them and ready them for Kindergarten.
Co-Teaching Model
TK classrooms keep the co-teaching model at their heart, with an English-speaking and a Mandarin-speaking teacher sharing the room as equals. Children continue to learn in both languages every day, so the bicultural learning that began in preschool carries seamlessly forward.
Bilingual Learning
Two languages remain woven through the day, in play, routine, and conversation, as children build fluency and confidence in both English and Mandarin. No prior knowledge of Mandarin is needed to begin Transitional Kindergarten at YCIS. This dual-language foundation gives every child a running start on the formal language learning that begins in Kindergarten.
Transition-Focused Activities
This is where our early education continuum truly comes to life. Throughout the year, TK children cross to the K–8 campus for shared learning events, meet their future Kindergarten classmates, and take part in the House System, and in the final weeks of the year they join summer camp on the big-kid campus, so that starting Kindergarten feels less like a leap and more like coming home.
A snapshot of the day
Campus hours 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Arrival → morning meeting → literacy and numeracy through play → snack and outdoor play → inquiry and projects → lunch → rest → enrichment → pickup.