Reaching Hearts Preschool & Wonderschool

Our Teachers

Hi there! My name is Candy Chan and I am the Head Teacher at Reaching Hearts Preschool. I started my career in electrical engineering after graduating with a B.A. and M.A. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

However, after 4 US patents and the publishing of various technology papers, I realized that I wanted to work closely with children, my community, and my own daughter. I received my California Child Development Site Supervisor Permit and Master of Divinity from Western Seminary, and have used these experiences to shape my curriculum and influence the way that I work with students here at RHP. I have designed our space to provide a high-quality, play-based space that emphasizes curiosity, encouragement, and an opportunity to connect with my own culture.

Testimonials

“Growing up our daughter has always had the need of extra time and attention when entering a new environment with new faces. Ms Candy made our daughter’s transition from family day care to pre-school with such an ease. Reaching Heart Preschool offers a loving and safe environment with a small family-like community; which was exactly what our daughter needed. Ms Candy is very patience with kids and we love one of her emphasis on social emotional learning - teaching kids on how to communicate their emotion. Ms Candy also ensured that our daughter was well prepared for Kindergarten. It has been a blessing to have Ms Candy being part of our daughter’s young journey. Thank you! Ms Candy”

• Rachel and Howard

09/01/2022

“Our Son has stayed in Reaching Heart Preschool since he was 1.5 year old. We really feel so lucky to have the chance to meet with Ms. Candy. Ms. Candy is so caring and always patient during the class.

She showed our son what is the right thing to do and how to face the difficulties and challenges. My son learned how to control his emotions and be very confident of himself. Ms. Candy also invites God and daily prayer in the class with all kids. It made a very positive and spiritual inspiration to our son. Moreover, Ms. Candy knows every detail of the kids, she knows what will be the most important key items and guides them step by step to learn. We are so grateful to stay in Reaching Heart School for 3.5 year through the Pandemic. It was a wonderful experience for whole our family and we are also very thankful that Ms. Candy helped our son build a solid foundation for his next trip. Thank you again !!”

• Jenny & Jeff

06/09/2022

“Our 4-year old daughter went to Reaching Heart Preschool at a time we just moved to a new place and received a new born son. During the time of transition, our daughter was unable to handle this dramatic change and her emotion. Ms Candy and Ms Stephanie are so caring and patient. They taught her how to manage and express her emotions. That really helped a lot. In Reaching Heart, the small number of students ensures each student to be well taken care of. Teachers observe the behavior and needs of each student, and communicate with the parents every day. So fortunate that we chose to let our daughter studied here.”

• Jay

3/25/2022

“We have two sons and both of them went to Reaching Hearts Preschool from 2 years old until Kindergarten. They went in as babies and came out strong boys. Ms. Candy not only took care of them but also taught them tremendous amount of knowledge and manners. My older son, who is now a fourth grader, has many pleasant memories of Reaching Hearts and he also made very good friends there. My younger son, who graduated from Reaching Hearts 2 months ago, still wants to go back there and stay a few days more. We also got to know many parents of the other kids and became friends. Overall, we feel very lucky to have found the school, and it indeed reached our hearts. “

• Philip

9/2/2021 “Please do not hesitate to join in Reaching Hearts Preschool because you will meet the great teacher, Ms. Candy and your kid will learn a lot!

During the preschool years, Ms. Candy has been so nice and patient with my son to help him to learn not only academic knowledge and social skills but also other good values, including positive thinking, respect, responsible , good manners, caring and love! Believe it or not, my son even wanted to go to school on weekends! Reaching Hearts Preschool really reach my heart and I am very thankful to have Ms. Candy! I would highly recommend it to all of you~”-FangChing8/18/2019

“Due to my son’s sensitive personality, I was very careful in choosing a preschool for him.  After touring many schools, I decided to go with Reaching Hearts Preschool.  From day 1, Ms. Candy communicated with me regularly on the progress of my son’s adjustment and improvement.  She worked with me to help potty trained my son, and to correct his misdemeanors.   Throughout these past 2 years, Ms. Candy is very caring, patient, and attentive, while teaching my son good manners, behaviors and attitudes, along with academic knowledge.  In addition, Ms. Candy did annual assessments to see if my son was on the right track in every aspect and discussed with me to see if there was anything we could help him to do better.  I am very pleased to see my son’s growth and joy at Reaching Hearts preschool.  I would highly recommend it to all other parents”

-Galatea

8/8/2019

“I feel very safe sending my kids to this school, knowing they will be seen, encouraged, and disciplined, with both the structure and the acceptance that a kid needs to grow.

The teachers are patient and consistent with positive discipline. Miss Candy keeps me informed about how my son and daughter are doing on a very personal level, and I love knowing how much they are noticed and cared for, not just a face in the crowd.You can see the quality of the school in the small details. Miss Candy encourages the kids to say goodbye to their parents every day, and she teaches them to see their classmates as friends. For every kid’s birthday the whole class helps write a story for the birthday boy or girl, and they illustrate it, and Miss Candy makes it into a book to send home. She helps the older kids keep journals. When my 2 year old daughter was having behavioral issues, Miss Candy would tell me every time something happened. But she never had a condemning or disapproving attitude. Instead she encouraged me to be patient, saying that it was probably a phase that would pass, which it did after a month or so. One of my favorite phrases that I hear her say all the time is, “It happens,”—she tells the kids this after they make a mess or if they misbehave, and it’s very reassuring for them (and parents too!). After the reassurance she gently instructs them in the right thing to do, so you can see her attitude is not “anything goes,” but she’s guiding them to grow with a foundation of acceptance and love.”-Elanor8/7/2018

“This is a five-star preschool!  My husband and I are both very picky parents, and we visited many preschools before selecting Reaching Hearts. Right away, we knew this is where we wanted our 4-year old son to attend. The teacher is so patient, knowledgeable, and works kindly with all the children.  She’s highly educated (masters degree) and is a Mom herself. The facilities are cheerful, with a huge backyard!   The kids learn so much, from math, reading to science.  More importantly, they also learn the importance of being kind to others, sharing and manners!”

• Allison 7/26/2018

“Our son has stayed in Reaching Hearts Preschool for more than 3 years. Mrs. Candy is always thorough and considerate when it came to taking care of kids. She was always listening to our feedback and watching out kids’ activity at school patiently. As our son is going to graduate in a month, we all wish his next teacher can be as good as Mrs. Candy! Thanks Mrs. Candy for taking care of our son so carefully!”

• Taomin

7/26/2018

“My oldest daughter has been attending Reaching Hearts Preschool since the beginning for several years, and recently due to our move out of state, we had to leave. Ms. Candy’s school environment is challenging enough where the kids are at pace (or most times surpassing) their age appropriate goals, yet relaxed enough where kids are nurtured first and do not feel pressure. Academically, the school is 5 stars, but more importantly for us, she instills good values and kindness among the students, that naturally leads to cooperation and buiding friendships in a natural, genuine way. Socially, my daughter has really blossomed into a more confident, outgoing individual, learning to speak up and solve problems as necessary. My youngest daughter has also attended the school and the mixed age group environment really has helped her to learn quickly and grow. Most importantly, the school and Ms. Candy provides the most loving, safe environment for the kids. I would not hesitate to recommend the school. Our kids and we already miss Ms. Candy dearly.”

• Jessica

11/7/2017

“After searching for preschool for 3 months, my wife and I decided to place our first child in care of Ms Candy’s Reaching heart preschool. We picked Reaching heart preschool in spite of driving extra 30-60 mins trip opposite from work/home each day. Not only did my daughter learn many things from school, we also learned how to be a good parent from Ms Candy. Ms Candy organizes bi-monthly gathering so that kids, parents, and alumni can enjoy quality time and share experiences. Ms Candy knows the kindergarten curriculum from different schools, so parents and students can be fully prepared for kindergarten. Ms Candy is kind, patient, flexible, mindful, and joyful.  The most important thing is Ms Candy cares so much for her students and has very good communication to parents.  We knew how the status of  our daughter in school and we never worried about her.  Our daughter was born in August and now she is the youngest kid in kindergarten.  Ms Candy knew it and helped us to prepare well for our daughter’s social and emotional development, language skills and mathematical thinking.  We really appreciate her hard working.  Now our daughter had already graduated from preschool and we are sending our 2nd child to here.  We just love Ms Candy and her preschool so much! I would highly recommend Reaching heart preschool to any families and especially first time parents.”

-Herbert

9/18/2017

“Reaching Hearts is truly a rare gem, and we had such a stellar experience with our oldest that we sent our second child there as soon as we could. And we’re trying to get on our baby on the wait list already! And as expected, we had just as great of an experience as before with our second one. Ms Candy is truly amazing and I have never met someone who cared so much for her students as if they were her own kids. She truly nurtures and challenges them to be the best they can be. I’m always raving to my family and friends about Ms Candy and her amazing preschool and we feel so blessed to have her be a part of our children’s lives!”

• Hanyi8/11/17

“My son began attending reaching hearts at a little under 2.5 years old and is now almost 4, so about 1.5 years. There are so many good things (and nothing bad!) about this school I don’t know where to start. What I appreciate the most about Ms. Candy is that she is caring, nurturing, compassionate, has much patience and with all those good qualities, is still able to get all the kids listening to her and following her directions while disciplining in a very fair, consistent and positive manner. This creates a great learning environment and allows children to feel free to be themselves and be encouraged to try new things or continue trying through difficulties. She speaks to them really gently yet commands a lot of authority and all the kids really love her. I believe she earns children’s and parents’ trust by being organized, prepared, and creating appropriate expectations and demands that fit the needs of each child. And with all the work that she does, she also manages to send out a weekly email to parents outlining all the activities and things they learned. She is great at creating routines that will serve the children well in getting ready for future schooling as well as to improve daily living and socialization skills. I loved it when my son first attended and came home and would do a “show and tell” of multiple items at 2.5! She is also very organized and prepared every day so that it is worth their time to be at school. I know my son really appreciates her, as her presence and words have a lasting impact on him when he mentions to us the rules he learns at school about how to treat others well and be safe. He often calls me Ms. Candy after school =). He also is able to tell us which numbers, letters, Chinese songs and Bible stories he learns at school each day, and often prays for our family meals due to the practice of praying daily and at meals at school. The other two things I really appreciate is her help in his eating and potty training. I pack vegetables or new/larger quantity of foods that I know he might not try or finish at home because I know she is able to somehow get him to eat it all or at least try the non-preferred foods. We also appreciated how patient she was in aiding our son in his potty training my as it took him 8+ months to fully potty train (bowel accidents). She also communicates really well with us and is very generous in helping by collaborating and providing us with tips and ideas on how to work with him at home as she really understands him. One wishes their child could stay in her school forever! Her school has been a great blessing to our family.” -Windy 1/12/2017

“My husband and I looked at a couple of preschools before my neighbor suggested Reaching Hearts.  As soon as I met Ms. Candy I knew right away that this was the perfect preschool for my daughter’s first preschool experience.  Ms Candy is an amazing teacher and so patient with the children. She provides such a loving and caring environment for all the kids. She’s a top notch teacher and my 4 year old has learned so much from her.  We are so happy to have found this wonderful, caring school.  I highly  recommend Reaching Hearts Preschool.” -Mimi 5/8/2016 “My daughter has grown so much since she has started school at reaching hearts. We chose this school based on many factors but what stood out to us was the warm, inviting, home environment and Ms. Candy’s nature- she is kind and positive with her discipline, which makes the children feel very safe, secure, and open to learning. Once very shy, my daughter has become much more proactive and sociable with people that she meets for the first time, and she’s learned so much in the meantime- numbers, letters, colors, shapes, etc. She will role play a lot of activities she has learned in school while playing with other children at home as well (such as hide and seek behind a tree) and that tells me she is having a great time while she’s in school. She’s also learned to eat independently a lot better with the influence of other children who are doing the same as well as Candy’s guidance. With the small teacher to child ratio, I know my daughter receives a great amount of attention and that  makes me feel safe and comfortable that she’s in good hands. Ms. Candy was also so great about sending us progress reports on what they have been learning and doing in school, as well as being very communicative on a daily basis of how my daughter has been doing each day she is there. Reaching hearts and Ms. Candy has been a blessing to our family and we are happy we chose this school for our daughter.”- Jessica 08/13/2015

“Reaching Hearts Preschool is truly a loving, warm, and nurturing preschool focused on whole child development and academic challenge.  I love it’s monthly theme such as making friends, sharing, love & patience, and forgiveness which does shape the whole child. Weekly summary will be sent to every parent to let us know the activities, skills, and materials covered in the week.  I like it’s home setting which provides comfort, peace, and secure environment to the preschoolers. Small class size allows the teacher to have a great attention to each student.  My 3-year-old daughter was once very shy and passive, but after going to Reaching Hearts she becomes a very bright and active girl.  She enjoys going to Candy’s preschool and meets her peers every single day.  Especially she looks forward to be the Child of the Day, and the Show and Tell time which other preschools don’t usually have. Candy is kind, patient, and positive.  She uses positive behavioral management to help with kids’ discipline. For example when kids are running around, instead of asking them to stop running, Candy would ask them, “Who’s sitting down nicely?”  This helps when kids like to compete to be the good kids.    English communication, social skills, problem solving, and self help are my daughter’s weaknesses. Candy is a super helpful teacher to be partnered with.  When I have concerns on my daughter’s weaknesses, Candy provides suggestions and plans specifically for helping my daughter to improve on those areas. I believe that my daughter will be in a good shape and ready to enter kindergarten the next academic year.  Our family is very blessed to have Candy as my daughter’s preschool teacher since Sep 2013 till now. During the years with Reaching Heart Preschool, I can see my daughter has healthily grown in God’s love, confidence, and desire to learn.”

• Kennis 08/01/2015

“Candy is an extension of us who nurtures and genuinely cares for our children.  Her place is a loving, warm environment focused on developing kids socially and academically with great detail and attention. The environment is meticulously clean with an outstanding playground in her spacious backyard.  We are so happy to have our son in Candy’s care.  You can see her passion in what she does and is always positive.  We absolutely feel blessed to have our son learn and grow in this pre-school.” 

• Philip L. 11/16/2014

“My 4yr old attended Reaching Hearts Preschool since he was 3. In the beginning, before we found Reaching Hearts, we had an extremely difficult time finding a nurturing yet academically challenging preschool for my son. We toured and even tried several preschools but none of them was really a good fit. Finally, through (very favorable) word of mouth, we found Reaching Hearts and we felt that it was an answer to our prayers.    We started out with a trial and Candy was very supportive and kept open communication with us during that time. After two weeks, we decided to register my son as a student, and over the past year and a half, we’ve seen nothing but incredible growth and development, in all areas. Candy is extremely patient and loving and I rave about Reaching Hearts to my family and friends all the time. Friends of friends have asked where my son attends school because they’ve heard such great things about our experience. As a slightly overprotective parent, it takes me a long time to trust others with my son, but Candy earned that trust very quickly and I know that she is one of the few people outside of her students’ families that truly care about the children’s well-being and growth.    In this caring, play-based environment, not only do the children truly learn to respect and love one another, they also truly develop a genuine love for learning, even with challenging subjects like science, math, reading, etc. She provides ample outside time for the children in an amazing and spacious yard with a wonderful play structure and outside equipment, and she cleverly utilizes the outside environment for art, crafts, and science. She is careful about hygiene, cleanliness, and safety. She is the only teacher we’ve met that is always very careful about the children’s application of sunscreen and wearing of sun hats when going outside, enforces regular hand-washing, helps switch them to helmets when they start riding the bikes, etc. Academically, he has been thriving as well and is learning how to add and read. I feel very confident that he will be more than ready for kindergarten when he is ready to attend in a year. I am amazed at how much my son has been learning and how much he’s developed emotionally and socially as well, especially at a place that he enjoys and loves so much.    One thing that always clearly spoke for how wonderful Reaching Hearts is that even after all this time, preschool is the one place my son consistently looks forward and is excited about going to. Back when we toured and tried all these various other schools, he would cry and scream about not going. My son is very intuitive and he know when he is cared for and with someone that he trusts, and Candy’s preschool is definitely a place where he is well-cared for in all aspects and areas of life and academics.”

• Hanyi 11/15/2014

“This is a five-star preschool!  My husband and I are both very picky parents, and we visited many preschools before selecting Reaching Hearts. Right away, we knew this is where we wanted our 4-year old daughter to attend. The teacher is so patient, knowledgeable, and works kindly with all the children.  She’s highly educated (masters degree) and is a Mom herself. The facilities are cheerful, with a huge backyard!   The kids learn so much, from math, reading to science.  More importantly, they also learn the importance of being kind to others, sharing and manners!”

• Allison 10/16/2014

Philosophy

Reaching Hearts Preschool is a play-based Mandarin-English bilingual preschool focused on whole child development, offering a program for children ages 2 to 6. We look at your child as a whole rather than someone who only needs the ABCs and 123s before entering kindergarten.  We look forward to fostering your child’s cognitive skills, physical skills, emotional skills, social skills, and life skills for the preschool years and beyond.

Location

Our program is in our bright sunroom in our one-family home. We use a designated entrance for our program and children have access to our large, fenced-in backyard. We are near the border of San Jose, Los Gatos, and Cambrian Park, just off of Routes 85 and 17.

About our program

At Reaching Hearts Preschool, we believe in the following values:

Play-based Learning. According to Dr. Kathleen Stassen Berger, a prominent author in early childhood education, ages 2 to 6 are the play years.  Learning should be conducted in a fun and playful way.  In our school, your kids will learn math through cooking, science through hands-on experiments, geography through “traveling,” and so on.  It is our goal to prepare your children for kindergarten through learning in a fun way.

Adopting the Best Practices of Other Approaches.  On top of being play-based, our school also includes the best practices from other educational approaches.  We strive to integrate Waldorf’s whole child development, Montessori’s child-sized and child-directed learning experiences, Reggio Emilia’s natural light and communal learning environment, and the emerging approach that uses children’s individual interests to customize the curriculum. We want to make use of all the best possible strategies when teaching your children.

Developing Life Skills. In addition to academics, life skills are crucial.  From 10+ years of experience supervising young professionals, Stanford students, Foothill students, and preschool and elementary school aged children in the Bay Area, RHP’s founder and head teacher has learned that preschool children are capable of learning the beginnings of many life skills.  Areas RHP emphasizes include conflict resolution, problem solving, and self soothing. Survival skills, like cooking and sewing, are also introduced at an age-appropriate level. It is our passion to pass our personal experience on to your children to make them brighter, stronger, and happier.  

Vygotsky’s Scaffolding. At RHP, most of the program involves teacher-aided activities.  Children have the chance to receive information through independent exploration, then the teacher follows up with a more focused explanation of material.  For example, children can learn how to make the color purple by dropping a drop of red food coloring into a drop of blue food coloring.  The hands-on experience is much more fun than memorizing the answer or hearing it from a teacher. It is our desire to instill in your child a joy of learning through their own discoveries.

A Home-setting.  If you have ever been to the prestigious Google Children’s Center or the Children’s Center of the Stanford Community, you would find that both centers are decorated very much like homes.  Why?  The home-setting provides comfort, security, and peace to young children.  When children feel safe, they feel comfortable to explore new learning opportunities around them. We give our best effort to help your children feel safe and loved.

Beige and other natural color decorations.  Both Children’s centers at Google and Stanford also mainly use beige and other natural colors for decorations. Why?  Natural colors help sooth children’s temperaments, so that stimulation mainly comes from children’s projects rather than from the colorful carpets.  It is our practice to provide a relaxing environment with stimulating learning experiences.

Religious Faith. Our school is open to students with any or no religious backgrounds. However, Christian concepts like sharing, loving one another, and Jesus’ unchanging love (no matter who someone is or what they have done) will be taught in school. According to scientists Christi Barnford and Kristin H. Lagattuta from UC Davis, children experiencing anger between the ages of 4 and 8 feel better after they have prayed.  Children with religious beliefs have a higher resilience when faced with difficulties. This finding has also been published in Dr. Berger’s book, The Developing Person Through the Life Span. It is our hope to help children understand they are always loved by a mighty God in every situation they will face throughout their lives.

Communication with Parents/Primary Caregivers. No one knows a child better than his or her parents/primary caregivers. At the same time, our program means children will spend a fair amount of their time at our school.  We want to share with you what we have observed, touch base about at-home developments, and work together to nurture your children’s potential. Therefore, it is important for us to communicate with you regularly through informal chats, emails, and parent-teacher conferences. We look forward to putting our best to raise your children with you.  

Admissions

Join the Reaching Hearts Preschool & Wonderschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Reaching Hearts Preschool & Wonderschool unique. Please schedule a tour or attend an Open House event.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.