Harbor Country Day School expands its Mandarin Chinese Program

After a successful two-year Mandarin Chinese pilot program, Harbor Country Day School has announced that it has expanded the early childhood program to include all students in grades Pre-K 4 through grade eight.

“Study after study has shown us that children are able to grasp the complexities of learning foreign languages at a very early age,” said John Cissel, Harbor Country Day School Head of School. “We are pleased to have had the opportunity to pilot our Mandarin program with our youngest students. Now we are thrilled to parlay that success into a program that meets the needs of all of our students.”

Within the program, Harbor students receive Mandarin instruction twice each week. Teacher Hong Li Snyder uses songs, fingerplays, stories, and read-alouds to expose her students to the sounds and tonal expressions that are unique to the Mandarin language. Throughout the school year, students also will explore various aspects of the Chinese culture.

An independent, co-educational day school for children from preschool through 8th grade located in the Village of Head of the Harbor, Harbor Country Day School prides itself on its commitment to providing children with extraordinary learning experiences that inspire them to explore the world around them, beginning at the very earliest stages of their education.