In the summer of 2004, a group of mothers decided to start a Mandarin playgroup for their children. The idea was for the children to have fun and make friends while exploring a new language and culture. Parents took turns to host each playgroup - the children played, sang nursery songs, celebrated festivals, ate Chinese take-out dinners together and made lifelong friendships.

With the rising interest in Mandarin among adults and children, the group expanded rapidly as friends invited more friends to join in.

We continue to expand our class offerings at our Upper East Side and Downtown locations. Through partnerships with other play space providers, we bring fun and enriching language classes to New York City families. We are excited to announce a new partnership with citibabes in January 2012, to offer Mandarin playgroups at citibabes' SoHo location. Citibabes is the ultimate NYC family club that provides members with best-in-class education, amenities, convenience and fun.

Since the fall of 2006, we have greatly expanded our Afterschool Programs within leading institutions, enabling us to reach more students and families. We run classes at The Brearley School, The Chapin School, Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Corlears School, The Dalton School, Ethical Culture School, The Hewitt School, Metropolitan Montessori School, P.S. 84, The School at Columbia University and The Spence School.

We believe that an early exposure to different languages and cultures is essential to prepare our children for an increasingly global environment.

Our mission is to instill young children with the curiosity and enthusiasm to explore the Mandarin language and Chinese culture. We want older children to have the confidence to express themselves in Mandarin, by building their foundations for reading and writing. The teaching philosophy is child-centered; the learning environment is enriching and rigorous, as well as interactive and fun. Over the years, the curriculum evolved due to feedback from teachers, children and families in our program. Children are introduced to familiar age-appropriate concepts about themselves, their interactions with others and their surroundings. We offer a variety of activities to maintain the interests of children. Classes covering subjects such as art, science, music and movement are all conducted in Mandarin. Traditional lessons such as ibihua (writing Chinese characters), Chinese songs, folklore and festivals are meant to enhance the children's knowledge about Chinese culture.

We have a mix of Chinese and children of non-Chinese descent in each group. Mandarin is spoken 90% of class time to immerse the children in the language. Children are grouped by age and language abilities. We encourage parents to review the lessons with their children at home by providing reading practice with the aid of audio and reading materials.

Our teachers are native Mandarin speakers with training in early childhood and/or bilingual education. They are enthusiastic, creative, patient and engaging. In addition, we have developed a unique and well-structured curriculum tailored for different age groups and language abilities.

Amy Chang - Amy received her Masters of Arts degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education at Columbia University's Teachers College. She has accumulated extensive teaching experience with children and adults from diverse backgrounds. Her innovative teaching methods create a fun atmosphere conducive for students to grow academically and socially.

Hsiao-Wei Hsieh - Hsiao-Wei was involved in the Teaching Training Program at Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and earned a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology degree from Taipei Medical University. She has taught art and dance to children. In addition, Hsiao-Wei has worked as a dancer and choreographer in numerous productions in London and New York.

I-Fang Huang - I-Fang is a movement specialist at The Mandarin Treehouse. I-Fang moved to New York in 1995 and studied dance on a scholarship at the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She has taught ballet, modern dance, Chinese dance and creative movement to children and adults and joined The Metropolitan Opera for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Energetic and professional, I-Fang enjoys teaching language to children through stories, music and creative movement.