About Young Voyagers Pre-k
Charlotte's Mandarin Chinese Immersion Pre-K School
Located at East Voyager Academy
Young Voyager's Pre-K is North Carolina’s first Mandarin immersion private preschool, located on the campus of East Voyager Academy in Charlotte, NC.
Young Voyagers learn cultural awareness as they are introduced to the customs and experiences of their native Chinese teachers. Students also celebrate both American and Chinese holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. Our students build a curiosity and passion for language study at an early age, preparing them for our K-8 Mandarin-Chinese immersion program later in their years.
Once your child is old enough, they can progress to East Voyager Academy! Building upon the basic instruction Young Voyagers receive in preschool, our native Mandarin teachers deliver curriculum instruction in Mandarin using NC state-adopted, standards-aligned textbooks. Math, Science, and Social Studies are all taught in Mandarin. Other courses, such as Physical Education, Music, Dance, Theatre, and Art are also taught in Mandarin.
Why It Works
Language immersion is a highly researched educational model in which part of a school’s curriculum is taught in a foreign language. Students in these programs achieve high levels of foreign language proficiency in addition to high overall academic performance.
Researchers now have evidence that people who learn another language, develop cognitive advantages that improve their attention, self-control, and ability to deal with contradictory information.
Scientist believe that the study of Mandarin uses both temporal lobes of the brain, versus just the left lobe in English speakers, and that learning to write Chinese characters helps the brain to develop spatial memory and math skills. There is even evidence to suggest that bilingual brains stay healthier longer than non-bilingual brains. Learning Mandarin isn’t just good for your brain, it also has important societal and professional merit. Mandarin is spoken by one fifth of the planet, over 1.2 billion people. China is the second largest economy in the world and one of America’s biggest trading partners. In addition, South Carolina is home to many Chinese based company headquarters.