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Most preschool programs teach children their ABCs. At YingHua International School, children as young as 18 months begin their educational journey immersed in one of the world's most important languages. 

Located in Kingston, New Jersey, YingHua International School is a not-for-profit, independent school offering 100% Chinese immersion for its youngest learners. As an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, the school combines the warmth and nurturing care families expect from a preschool with a research-backed immersion approach that builds genuine bilingual fluency from the very first day.

Whether you are searching for a Chinese preschool or exploring bilingual preschool options in Mercer County, YingHua provides an early childhood experience that no other school in the region can match.

Why Start Mandarin at 18 Months?

Research in developmental linguistics consistently shows that the earliest years of life represent a unique window for language acquisition. Between birth and age five, children's brains are wired to absorb the sounds, tones, rhythms, and structures of language with an ease that diminishes significantly as they grow older. Starting a Chinese toddler program during this critical period means your child can develop native or near-native fluency in Mandarin naturally.

According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, immersion programs are the most effective type of world language program available in U.S. schools. At YingHua, this means your child is not sitting through a weekly Mandarin lesson. They are living, playing, and learning entirely in Chinese throughout the school day.

The cognitive benefits of starting early are substantial. Immersion education enhances problem-solving skills, boosts memory, encourages creativity, and improves multitasking. Large-scale studies confirm that long-term academic achievement improves in the context of dual language immersion (Kim, Curby & Winsler, 2014; Collier & Thomas, 2004; 2017). Children who begin bilingual education in the early years develop stronger analytical and executive functioning that benefits them across every academic subject for years to come.

The Early Years Program: Ages 18 Months Through Kindergarten

YingHua's Early Years Program offers 100% Chinese immersion from nursery through kindergarten. Every classroom is led by native Chinese-speaking teachers who are loving, patient, and highly skilled, with advanced degrees and experience in early childhood education. The school works closely with parents to provide a nurturing environment that supports and challenges all learners.

Program Structure and Scheduling

Families benefit from flexible scheduling options designed to accommodate a range of needs:

• Nursery, pre-school, and pre-kindergarten students can choose between a full-day option (8:45 AM to 3:30 PM) and a half-day option (8:45 AM to 12:30 PM).
• Nursery and preschool families can select from three-day or five-day weekly schedules depending on the program.
• Kindergarten students attend five full days per week.
• Daily before care starts at 7:30 AM, and after care runs until 6:00 PM.
• Students attending after-school enrichment programs are escorted by a teacher directly to their activity at the end of the school day.

These options make the program practical for working families throughout the Princeton area, while ensuring every child receives consistent, high-quality immersion exposure.

Student-to-Teacher Ratios

Small class sizes are central to the early childhood experience at YingHua. The school maintains some of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in the region:

• Two-year-old class: 5 students per teacher
• Pre-school and pre-K: 7 students per teacher
• Kindergarten: 10 students per teacher

The overall average class size at YingHua is just 10 students, with a schoolwide student-to-teacher ratio of 4:1. This individualized attention means more speaking opportunities, stronger interactions with teachers and peers, and more immediate feedback for every child.

What Your Child Will Learn

The early childhood Chinese curriculum at YingHua is far more than language instruction. It is a comprehensive educational experience that develops the whole child across Chinese language acquisition, mathematics, visual arts, music, physical education, science, social studies, and social-emotional skills.

Chinese Language and Culture

Each age group follows a carefully designed progression of language development:

1. Nursery students (18 months and up) learn through and about Chinese throughout the day, happily immersed in songs, stories, finger play, and parallel and group play. By the end of the year, they will have explored their surroundings through Chinese language and responded to and made requests appropriate to the context.
2. Pre-school students sing, recite poems and nursery rhymes, and dramatize stories in Chinese. They learn to express their feelings and ideas using a combination of writing, drawing, crafting, and dictation methods.
3. Pre-kindergarten students learn to speak Chinese with native or near-native accent and tones. They carry out conversations within familiar and meaningful contexts, understand the main ideas of new stories, and describe familiar events using words and simple sentences.
4. Kindergarten students master a vocabulary of approximately 300 to 800 high-frequency words, recognize 50 to 100 characters, read simple phrases and texts with comprehension, and engage in inquiry-based writing projects.

Mathematics

Even in the earliest years, mathematical thinking is part of the daily experience. Nursery students learn to count and recognize numbers from 1 to 10 and explore shapes, colors, and patterns. By kindergarten, students read, write, count, compare, and compute numbers to 50, sort and describe 2-D and 3-D shapes, and create simple patterns. All mathematics instruction is delivered in Chinese, building mathematical vocabulary alongside numerical reasoning.

Beyond Academics: The Whole Child

The early years curriculum also includes visual arts, music, physical education, and social-emotional education. In visual arts, children progress from theme-related crafts focused on fine-motor skills to exploring art media including crayon, watercolor, marker, oil pastel, and acrylics. Music education develops an appreciation for rhythm, pitch, and intensity, while physical education builds confidence through body awareness, balance, coordination, and strength.

Social-emotional education is woven throughout the day, with three core goals: developing self-help skills toward greater independence, establishing healthy and safe daily routines, and learning to live, play, and work with peers in harmony. This whole-child approach reflects the school's IB philosophy, which builds social-emotional learning into every subject area through the IB Learner Profile.

A Buddy Program That Builds Community

One of the most beloved features of the early childhood program is the buddy system. Every student in the Early Childhood Program is paired with an older student in the higher grades, and the two interact regularly. This cross-age connection fosters a sense of belonging for younger children while developing leadership and empathy in older students.

The school's community is multicultural, multi-ethnic, globally minded, and inclusive. Families find comfort in joining a school where everyone shares a global perspective, respect for diversity, and compassion for others alongside strong academics.

Growing with Your Child: From Preschool Through 5th Grade

Choosing the right Mandarin preschool is just the beginning. At YingHua, the early years flow seamlessly into the Primary Years Programme (Grades 1 through 5) and the Middle Years Program (Grades 6 through 8). English is gradually introduced starting in first grade, reaching an equal balance with Chinese by fifth grade. In middle school, students add Spanish, and many earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy by seventh or eighth grade.

This continuity means your child's early investment in Mandarin grows with them through a single, coherent program all the way through 5th grade. The curriculum addresses New Jersey Student Learning Standards, the Chinese national math curriculum, and Next Generation Science Standards, ensuring students exceed state benchmarks while benefiting from the IB framework.

Financial Aid and Affordability

YingHua International School strives to make early childhood Chinese immersion accessible. Approximately 17% of students receive need-based financial aid, and the school offers a 10% sibling discount along with flexible, interest-free tuition payment plans. For full details on tuition and financial aid, visit the tuition and affordability page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my child need to know any Chinese before enrolling?

Not at all. The early childhood programs accept students with no prior knowledge of Chinese. Children do not need Chinese support at home to succeed. The immersion model builds fluency from scratch through daily exposure in a structured, nurturing classroom environment.

What is the youngest age you accept?

YingHua enrolls children starting at 18 months in the Nursery program. This early start takes advantage of the critical window for language acquisition, giving children the best possible foundation for bilingual fluency.

Is this program only for Chinese-speaking families?

No. YingHua serves a multicultural, multi-ethnic community. Both Chinese heritage families seeking language preservation and non-Chinese families wanting their children to gain bilingual fluency choose the school for its combination of immersion, IB academics, small class sizes, and whole-child approach.

How do I schedule a visit?

The best way to see the program in action is to visit campus. Schedule a tour to observe classrooms, meet teachers, and learn about the admissions process. You can also submit an inquiry to connect with the admissions team about enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year.

Start Your Child's Bilingual Journey Today

The decision of where to send your child for their earliest years of education is one of the most important you will ever make. At YingHua International School, that decision comes with the confidence of knowing your child will be immersed in Mandarin from day one, guided by native-speaking teachers in small classes, and nurtured by an IB-informed philosophy that develops far more than language skills alone. From age 18 months through 5th grade, YingHua offers a continuous path to bilingual fluency that no other school in the region can match. Schedule a campus visit to experience it firsthand, or reach out to the admissions team to learn how your family can get started.