Yang Fan Academy

I visited the school a few weeks ago. The woman who provided the tour was pleasant enough.
However, I just did not like the way the place looks.
First of all, I do not like some classrooms with no windows. Secondly, the backyard play area is very minimal. Third, the back building where assembly is held is rather a chaotic setting. Finally, the hallway has a bit of odd oder.
My review is based on my first impression of the place and has nothing to do with their teaching. The teachers seem fine to me but just the setting not my cup of tea.

Yang Fan Academy is full of lovely people and kids! Many of my friends send their children to this after-​school. YF provides on-​time school pick-​up, great after school programs and a nice and warm environment for the kids to play and learn. The school is pretty big with many classrooms and playground. Teachers are professional and certified. Staff are friendly to answer parents’ questions. It is a safe and fun place to send the kids to. Also the rate is very reasonable comparing to other after school in the same area!
They also have summer camp with many different events planned. I would highly recommend Yang Fan!

The school is amazing. Your kid feels comfortable and enjoys here. My daughter graduated from preschool to prek class. Almost she is here more than a year and she is enjoying and learning every day. What is good about the school is they really make your kid comfortable and by academics very strong. Ms Jody is so flexible and very homely.
Lakshmi Karthik

Not sure about the bad reviews here but my son has been attending the after school program since fall 2014 and loves it. The driver he has is wonderful too.
If your child wants to play all afternoon then this is not the right after school program for them. If they want to learn language (Chinese or Spanish) & want to learn more then Yan Feng is a good option. There is also plenty of playtime & free time in class for drawing/​reading. My son only spoke English before he started but now he is saying simple Chinese conversation sentences & always looks forward to language class.
I agree the facility could have be better but this is an after school program so I wasn’t expect a top notch facility. Yan Feng works for us as we want him to learn a language & reiterate what he learns in school. That being said, we don’t keep him at Yan Feng till closing (6:30), we usually pick him up a little early to do things like sports.

I’d left 2 messages to ask for a tour. There was no call back which leads me to believe they don’t want my business and/​or they don’t want me to see what actually goes on during the afterschool program. Unfortunate.

I highly recommend Yang Fan. They go over and above what I thought an after school program should be academically. They have a playground so that kids can burn off some energy so that they can study. My sons’s previous school, Sunflower only had a room with a few blocks and legos. My kid dreaded going there because he was so bored. The teaching at YF seems to be much better. They give reports about the academic process which we never got before. They are open many days the regular schools are not and will take the kids for the whole day. Everyone I have contacted seems to be very helpful and listen to concerns. They also have lots of extra activities for an extra fee especially for the Summer session. They don’t seem pushy about the extra activities and are reasonably priced. They are there if you want something extra but not really necessary.
The school is pretty new. The bathrooms are very clean. The old school, Sunflower, had one bathroom which was disgusting.
My wife and I checked out the other chinese after schools and YF was the best. I regret sending my son to Sunflower Academy initially but YF was still being built. One other thing, Sunflower would reward and motivate kids with candy and cookies. This is a recipe for overweight kids who seek junk food when they accomplish things.
One of the bad reviews I read about YF was from someone who had no personal experience and based it on what someone else wrote. That seems hardly fair.

In a word — irresponsible. The staff doesn’t seem to care about the kids. We stopped by for a surprise tour and found kids in conditions that were frankly unsafe. About 50 odd kids were playing in 95+ degree heat while the teachers/​staff were inside in AC. There were ladders, discarded furniture, wires, etc in close proximity to the playing kids. I believe others when they say the academic curriculum is good, but I’d never send my kids there just based on the lack of basic safety and care.
Update 7÷15÷13: Jennifer, I did make an appointment, but your staff couldn’t locate it, which is why it was a surprise to them. However, they obliged and gave me a tour right away (the receptionist gave the tour instead of the program dir with whom I had the appt — but she did it promptly). BTW, the play area seemed so inappropriate for kids that my wife specifically asked if there was any construction and/​or changes underway; your staff replied no. You are right: I was upset, but not at the lack of attention (I did get the tour promptly after all). I was upset at what I saw in the tour. I remember distinctly remarking that these are not conditions I would associate with child care in the US.
I do not need another tour — I know that you can clear up /​clean up the areas for tours /​open houses, etc. My review is based on real-​word conditions witnessed by me when your staff didn’t/couldn’t prepare, and I stand by it. If this review causes you to make the facility more safe under normal operation, then everyone (including you) is a winner.
Regards.