We know this is big transition for your family and your child as they enter elementary school and join a new after school program! Here is some information and tips to help you and your child prepare for this big step in their educational journey! We’re here to support both students and families every step of the way.

General Tips for a Smooth Start

• Consistent Routines Help Young Learners Thrive
  Drop-off and pick-up at consistent times can help your child feel safe and confident. If you are dropping off your child at LLLC, using a familiar goodbye routine helps ease separation and encourages independence.

• Comfort Items Are Welcome
  If your child is still adjusting to a new environment, a small comfort item (like a favorite plush toy) can be a big help in the early weeks.

• Snack Time Matters
  We provide one nutritious afternoon snack daily. All snacks are handpicked and delivered by our co-founder Jessica (who’s also a mom of a kindergartner!). However, if your child tends to get hungry — especially if they don’t finish their school lunch — please pack an extra snack. This is very common for young kids!

• Nap Needs? Let Us Know!
  While we don’t have built-in nap time, if your child still needs a rest in the afternoon, we’re happy to find a peaceful spot where they can relax. Just let us know in advance!

• Bathroom Assistance Needs? Let Us Know!
  While we do expect all our students to be potty trained by the time they start our program, we understand some young children may need bathroom assistance. Please let us know if your child needs bathroom help, so our teachers can best support them.

• Spare Set of Clothes
  Leaving a spare set of clean clothes in their cubby may be useful, just in case!

• Label Everything
  Please label water bottles, lunchboxes, jackets, and backpacks — it saves so much time and avoids lost items!

• Practice Chinese at Home (Just a Little!)
  Even saying "hello" (你好) or "thank you" (谢谢) in Chinese at home can boost your child’s confidence. Don’t worry if you're not fluent — showing interest in the language is powerful!

• Set a Positive Tone
  As you talk about their new school, speak positively! You have a powerful impact on your child’s perceptions and attitudes. A positive attitude can influence your child’s enthusiasm and willingness to embrace the new learning environment.

Additional Information

School Calendar

We follow the San Carlos School District calendar - when the school district has a no-school day, we are also closed. When San Carlos schools are on Minimum Day schedule, we also follow the Minimum Day schedule. We do our best to make school days as seamless for families as possible!

On holidays and days where day school is closed, we also offer Day Camp for your convenience. To sign up for Day Camps, you can enroll here: Drop in Day Camp

You can view the school calendar here as well as on our lobby bulletin board: 📅 San Carlos District Calendar

Daily Class Schedule

For incoming TK students, the regular day schedule (non-Minimum day) typically follows a schedule that provides students with a balance of learning and play.

Arrival
Recess (30 min)
Enrichment Class - Art, Music & Motion, Cooking, STEM, Math (60-75 min)
Recess and Snack (30 min)
Chinese (60 min)
Closing Circle Time (15 min)
Dismissal

Other Elective Options

Other than the included curriculum above, we offer electives that you may sign your child up for if interested. Our electives are thoughtfully scheduled outside of regular class time to support your child’s well-rounded development without interrupting Chinese learning. Some are provided by LLLC and others are provided by third party educators. We will share additional information and sign up links ahead of the school year and each semester.

• 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 piano lessons (available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)

• 1-on-1 violin lessons (available Wednesday and Thursday)

• Chess, taught in English - available Wednesday afternoon

• Others to be shared before school starts

If there are elective topics you have interest in, we are happy to source educators and determine if there is enough interest across LLLC classes to add the elective.

Pick Up From Day School

We partner with San Carlos lower elementary schools to ensure a smooth pick up process for our students. The school administration and teachers will know your child is enrolled at LLLC as we provide them with a list of our students before school starts. Your child’s day school will also know who our van driver is, has our co-founder’s and team’s direct phone numbers for immediate questions, and have partnered with us on our pick up schedule, process, and our designated van parking location. Together with the San Carlos schools, we ensure a safe and smooth transition for your child.

Our van drivers are trusted team members, each dedicated to a specific school so children will have consistency in knowing their driver/teacher, and each van seat is equipped with a car seat. We will update you promptly every day on Brightwheel (via a “check in” notification) once your child is safely on the van.

TO DO!! We ask that you please do the following before schools starts:

1. Authorize your day school to release your child to Live Love Learn Chinese for pick up each day. This action is required to provide the school and your child’s teacher with the approval to release your child to our driver.

2. Update your child’s Brightwheel profile photo to help our drivers and teachers identify your child in the first few days of school.

3. Prepare your child by talking to them early about being picked up by Live Love Learn Chinese at the entrance of their TK classrooms at dismissal. When day school comes to an end, their day school teachers will transfer your child to our driver at the entrance of the TK classrooms, they will then walk with the driver to the van, be secured in the car seat, and will ride a van with their peers to get to Chinese School. To aid the students in identification of our driver, our drivers will hold a LLLC logo sign on the first couple days of school. We will share the driver/teacher’s name with families once the pick up schedule has been finalized.

4. Teach your child how to buckle their seat belt, if they do not know how yet. While our drivers will assist students who need help buckling their seat belt, we encourage children to become independent in responsibilities like these.

For everyone’s safety and schedule timeliness, we also kindly ask parents to abide by the following:

• Not to visit school during pick-up time — if your child sees you, they may become attached and delay the schedule for the rest of the group.

• Stay phone-connected during pick-up hours in case we need to reach you.

• Notify us via Brightwheel messaging at least 30 minutes in advance of pick up time if your child will be absent from pick up and LLLC, to prevent our drivers and staff from unnecessary urgent concern, from delaying all other student schedules, and to avoid a fee for non-notification.

Lastly, a reminder that we follow the San Carlos School District calendar, so yes — we do provide early pick-up on minimum days. No need to worry — we’ve got you covered! You can view the school calendar here as well as on our lobby bulletin board: 📅 San Carlos District Calendar

What’s Happening at LLLC!

On the first couple days of school, we expect young TKers and some Kinders to be adjusting and potentially uncomfortable in a new environment. Your child will have a designated cubby for their belongings and a homeroom and consistent Teacher and TAs to provide consistency and stability in their daily experience. Please be patient with them and us, as they will be going through so many new experiences in such a short time!

Throughout the afternoon, our teacher’s snap photos of students in action at LLLC and load photos to Brightwheel, shared only to your child’s class. Photos are loaded when teacher’s have a moment of time - may be during the afternoon or in the evening. Our families love the photos of their kids in action!

Pick up Time from LLLC

For Level 1 TK class, pick up time is 5:15-5:30 PM, which is a bit earlier than older classes as the school day is very long for young students.

Communications with our Team

We use Brightwheel to communicate with families - for all broader communications, newsletters and direct messages for any topic, from absences, incidents, or early pick-ups. From this point on, please communicate with us through the app! If there are days where your child is absent or will not need to be picked up by our driver, please message us to let us know an hour in advance, so our driver and team are not worried and waiting at the school. Please don’t hesitate to message us here on Brightwheel if you have questions or want to connect with us.

Volunteering

If you’re interested in becoming a Room Parent or supporting classroom volunteering opportunities, we’d love to have you involved! Just let us know, and we’ll reach out when opportunities come up throughout the year.