Cornerstone Academy

Cornerstone is a safe and nurturing Chinese (Cantonese) immersion school for children. My eldest daughter attended this school 3 years ago and my youngest is currently attending. They serve a great foundation for preschoolers in a terms of teaching the children respect, manners, Chinese culture and ABCs. There is constant communication from teachers to parents. There is a parent teacher conference once a year for teachers to talk about the children’s learning and social behavior. We are extremely satisfied with the well trained attentive staff.
Tuition is extremely fair since they allow the children to be dropped off as early as 7:00 am and pick up as late as 6:00 pm. Breakfast and hot lunch is prepare daily from their on site kitchen.

What a snobby school! I called to schedule school tour. To my surprise, they require me to fill out the application and a $ 20 application fee before I can schedule a tour. I even asked to confirm.

We (parents and child) love this school. My son has been going here for 2 ½ years now, and we couldn’t be happier with the progress he has made. Yes, I agree with the previous review that this school is very structured and it is well known to be very strict. It’s not for every child. However, in the case of my son, he needes that. We tried sending him to a more play-​based type preschool and he would cry everyday for four whole months. After he started coming to Cornerstone, he was very happy. All the teachers he’s had have been very nurturing, yet firm with him. He also loves the challenges and as pre-​k he is already learning what public kindergartens teach. This school has helped build a solid foundation for him. Everyday when I go pick him up, I always talk to the other children, and they seem happy, maybe because it is their free time at the end of the day, I don’t know. But, overall they seem very engaged and happy with their activities at the end of the day.

My initial experience with Cornerstone Academy was positive and I met with the director for about an hour. Unlike the other Unilocal reviewer, I wasn’t bothered by the $ 20 application fee; I think that’s pretty standard.
I sourced out this preschool because they had a Cantonese/​English preschool curriculum that I was looking for. The school was clean and organized and the curriculum, very structured.
The last part — it being «very structured» — is when I had a long «sit and think» about Cornerstone Academy.
I’ll say this: It is rare in the extreme that I can’t elicit a positive reaction from children. I adore kids and listen carefully to them, often getting down on one knee to be at their level. My sweetness and genuine interest usually garners instant smiles and children quickly and animatedly engage me in conversation after I express interest in them («Oh, is that a picture of a doggy you drew?» «Is red your favorite color? Mine too!»)
When I took a tour of the school, the children were eerily quiet. They lacked the playful and animated spirit that preschoolers have. I was a little disturbed about how taciturn — even a bit frightened– they seemed when I toured the school. I didn’t think this was a normal reaction.
I thought maybe it was because I’m not Asian and I believe that 99% of the students at Cornerstone are. But, I’ve never had that experience with children my whole life. It really gave me pause.
I think children need and want structure however when it’s too much, it stifles children’s natural exuberance and curiosity. I think this is happening at Cornerstone Academy.
If you’re a very strict parent and you’re looking for this very, very structured environment for your child (that also includes uniforms, again, good in some ways but I think too early for preschoolers) then I think you’ll be happy with Cornerstone Academy.
As for my child, I thought it was way too constrictive an environment for preschool and I feared it would stifle my child’s creativity and his high-​spirited nature.
The school has some positive things but it wasn’t the right fit for my child or the environment I thought would be most productive for his development.

I’m shopping around for a preschool & I’ve passed this one plenty of times. Their website looks great & very informative, and tuition isn’t bad. I called to schedule a campus visit, but was told that I need to send in an application first w/​$ 20. None of the schools make you pay the application fee before visiting. I was told that this was policy. No one should have to pay an visiting fee!

A private school that allows enrollment of children as young as 3 years old (as long as they’re potty trained). Staff is super attentive and cirriculum is strictly enforced. Not simply focused on academic achievement, but on personal growth as well.
This campus offers a junior pre-​kindergarten, a senior pre-​k, and kindergarten. The school day is split in half, with Chinese (cantonese) being the only language used in the mornings, and English taught after the kids wake up from their naps. I’ve found that this has increased my son’s Cantonese fluency to a tremendous level.
Obviously children at this age spend a fair amount of time doing arts and crafts, as well as playing and socializing. The classes utilize allocated space in the event outdoor time is not feasible due to inclement weather.
My wife and I are quite satisfied with the school and we look forward to having our son spent a few more years under the watchful eyes of his teachers. We are very secure with sending our son to school on a daily basis.
Please note that this private academy is affilated with Cornerstone Evangelical Baptist Church, so there is a religious agenda.