好奇宝宝 hào qí bǎo bao

Curious Kids

Join a close-knit community of families who are raising curious and bilingual kids, one playful afternoon at a time.

We offer after-school Mandarin language and Chinese culture programs in Middleton.

和更多家庭一起，陪伴孩子快乐成长，在玩乐中培养好奇心，轻松学中文！

好奇宝宝在 Middleton 开设有趣又好玩的课后中文和中国文化课程，让孩子们边玩边学，爱上中文！

Register by Dec 20th Spring semester 2027 registration is now open! 春季学期现已开放报名！
Register for Spring →春季报名 See our programs看看我们的课程
A row of young children in matching yellow shirts and handmade frog, bird and turtle headbands, performing together
课程kè chéng

Our Programs

Our weekly after-school Mandarin language program is the heart of Curious Kids, plus optional trips that bring the language to life.

每周的课后中文班是好奇宝宝的核心，另外还有可选的游学活动，让孩子们把学到的中文真正用起来！

A young girl practicing Chinese brush calligraphy as an adult guides her hand
Our core program · Weekly 核心课程 · 每周

After-School Mandarin Language Classes课后中文课程

Kids build real Mandarin language skills through games, songs, stories and hands-on crafts, and have so much fun they forget they're learning.

孩子们通过游戏、儿歌、故事和动手做手工，扎扎实实地学中文，每天都玩得超开心！

  • When时间Two weekdays each week, 2:40–5:30 PM每周两个工作日，下午 2:40–5:30
  • Where地点Northside Elementary, Elm Lawn Elementary & Pope Farm Elementary
  • Tuition学费$285/month per child每个孩子每月 $285
Enroll Now →立即报名

Optional trips

Extra adventures for families who want to take Mandarin language beyond the classroom.

Red lanterns strung over Wentworth Avenue in Chicago's Chinatown at night, with the Willis Tower in the distance
Field Trip

Chicago Chinatown Exploration Trip

A day of wandering through shops in Chinatown and enjoying dim sum together, while kids practice their Mandarin language with locals.

  • Dates January 2027, March 2027 & May 2027
  • Price $75 per person, including dim sum, pastries & bubble tea
  • Sign up Interest Form ↗
The Shanghai skyline on a sunny day, with the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower across the Huangpu River
Summer Trip

Summer 2027 Chinese Immersion in Shanghai (2 weeks)

The adventure of a lifetime: two weeks of language, food, history and friendship in one of the world's most exciting cities.

适合谁shì hé shéi

Who It's For

Curious Kids welcomes every family who wants their child to grow up curious about the world.

只要您希望孩子对世界充满好奇，好奇宝宝都热烈欢迎您的家庭！

Ages年龄

All elementary school–aged kids are welcome!

Young kids are natural language learners. They soak up new sounds, mimic tones without fear, and pick up words through play. That's why we focus on elementary schools as the home for our program.

Most kids don't get to study a world language until middle or high school. We believe in starting earlier, while learning a new language still feels like a game.

所有小学年龄段的孩子都欢迎！

小朋友天生是学语言的高手，不怕模仿声调，玩着玩着就学会了。所以我们把课堂设在小学。

大多数孩子到初中、高中才学更多的语言。我们相信越早越好，趁学语言还像玩游戏一样！

Mandarin Language Experience中文基础

Beginners are kids who are brand new to Mandarin language. Maybe nobody speaks it at home, and that's perfectly okay. We start from the very basics: sounds, tones, greetings and everyday words, all through play.

Heritage speakers are kids who hear Mandarin language or another Chinese language at home. Many understand more than they say! We help them build confidence speaking, grow their vocabulary and start reading characters, on a faster track.

Both are warmly welcome, and everyone learns from each other.

零基础的孩子：家里没人说中文也没关系！我们从发音、声调、打招呼和日常用语教起，全部在玩中学。

华裔家庭的孩子：在家听得懂、却不太敢说？我们帮他们大胆开口、多学词汇、开始认字，进度更快。

下午xià wǔ

A Typical Afternoon

  1. 2:40 PM

    Snack time & friendly chats点心时间 & 轻松聊天

    We kick off with a snack and friendly Chinese conversation with friends. It's the perfect way to unwind after the school day.

    我们先吃点心，和小伙伴们用中文轻松聊聊天，放学后正好放松一下！

  2. 3:00–5:00 PM

    Mandarin language through games, songs & crafts在游戏、儿歌和手工中学中文

    Hands-on, movement-filled learning: singing Chinese children's songs and rhymes, playing 老师说 (lǎo shī shuō, our version of Simon Says), picture-book story time, brush calligraphy, paper-cutting, and seasonal crafts like lanterns for Lunar New Year.

    各种好玩的活动轮番上阵，孩子们边动手边学中文，每天都有新花样！

  3. 5:00–5:30 PM

    Parent pickup家长接孩子

    Pick up anytime between 5:00 and 5:30 PM from the Curious Kids classroom at your host school. 再见 (zài jiàn), see you next time!

    下午 5:00 到 5:30 之间随时来接。

学费xué fèi

Pricing

Spring Semester 20272027年春季学期

$285 / month

Our program is priced to be affordable for families.

  • Two afternoons a week from 2:40–5:30 PM at your local elementary school
  • Refund policy: Request a refund for any remaining sessions with 2 weeks' advance notice.
  • Traveling? Families who travel can request refunds for the dates they'll be away, with advance notice.
  • Giving back: We pledge to donate 10% of actual net profits to the PTO of each participating school.

我们的学费是每月 $285。

  • 每周两个下午，2:40–5:30，就在您附近的小学
  • 退费政策：提前两周通知，就可以申请退还剩余课时的费用。
  • 要出门旅行？提前告诉我们，旅行期间的课时可以申请退费。
  • 回馈社区：我们承诺把实际净利润的10%捐给每所合作学校的家长教师协会（PTO）。
Register Now立即报名

See where your tuition goes ↓看看学费都花在哪儿

透明tòu míng

Where Your Tuition Goes

Curious Kids is a community-first, locally owned business. Our goal is to provide affordable, meaningful enrichment for children, not to maximize profits. We are committed to publishing projected and actual program costs each semester. We pledge to donate 10% of actual net profits to the PTO of each participating school.

Because we deeply believe in transparency, here's a breakdown of our projected finances.

  • $285/monthper child
  • 43 sessionsprojected, January–June 2027
  • 8 childrenper classroom (base case)
  • 2 instructorsper classroom
Projected expenses per classroom, Spring 2027
ExpenseSemester cost
Lead teacher, including prep and meetings$5,320.00
Assistant teacher, including prep and meetings$3,040.00
Classroom rental$2,580.00
General liability insurance$333.33
Workers' compensation$166.67
Books and worksheets$300.00
Startup expenses$166.67
Total projected expenses$11,906.67
Enrollment scenarios
Children Tuition revenue Expenses Funds remaining
6$10,260$11,906.67−$1,646.67
7$11,970$11,906.67$63.33
8 (target)$13,680$11,906.67$1,773.33

At eight enrolled children, we project $1,773.33 remaining after projected expenses for the entire six-month semester, before additional costs and owner compensation.

Jian Li Zheng, founder of Curious Kids, smiling outdoors with her husband and their two young sons
关于我guān yú wǒ

Hi, I'm Jian 建丽!

你好 (nǐ hǎo)! I'm a mom raising my bilingual, bicultural sons Oliver 安安 and Theo 晨晨 in Middleton. I wanted to build a community with other families who want to raise curious kids and give them the chance to explore a new language really early on.

I grew up speaking Chinese and earned my bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature from UW-Madison. This opened doors for me to work in diverse roles at technology companies. In Seattle I also briefly ran a food tour company where I loved helping people discover new cultures through shared meals, history, and exploring hidden neighborhoods.

Curious Kids is a way to bring the world to your kids, and I can't wait to meet your family!

大家好！我是安安和晨晨的妈妈，住在 Middleton。我想和更多家庭一起，让孩子从小保持好奇心，早早开始学一门新语言。

我是华裔美国人，之前一直在软件公司工作。在西雅图时还开过美食导览公司，最爱带大家边吃边逛。

好奇宝宝想把世界带到孩子身边，好期待认识你们一家！

常见问题cháng jiàn wèn tí

Frequently Asked Questions

What grades/ages is this for?适合哪些年级、多大的孩子？

Curious Kids is for all elementary school–aged kids, which means kindergarten through 4th grade (K–4).

好奇宝宝适合所有小学年龄段的孩子，也就是从幼儿园到四年级（K–4）。

Does my child's school or district matter?孩子在哪所学校、哪个学区有关系吗？

Not at all! Our host sites are Northside Elementary, Elm Lawn Elementary and Pope Farm Elementary. Kids who attend a different elementary school are very welcome too; parents just drop them off at the host school.

没关系！上课地点在 Northside、Elm Lawn 和 Pope Farm 小学。其他学校的孩子也欢迎，家长送过来就行。

How will drop-off and pickup work?接送怎么安排？

When the regular school day ends, kids head straight to the Curious Kids classroom at their host school. If your child attends a different school, you'll drop them off there. For pickup, parents pick their child up between 5:00 and 5:30 PM.

放学后孩子直接去好奇宝宝教室，其他学校的孩子由家长送来。下午 5:00–5:30 接孩子。

Does my child need to know Mandarin language already?孩子需要先会中文吗？

Not at all! Plenty of our kids start with zero Mandarin language, and we'll teach them all the basics (sounds, tones, greetings and everyday words) through games, songs and crafts. No Mandarin language at home? No problem.

Heritage learners who already hear Mandarin language at home will move along a faster track, building confidence speaking and starting to read characters.

完全不需要！很多孩子都是零基础，我们通过游戏、儿歌和手工，从发音、声调、打招呼教起。家里没人说中文？没问题！

家里本来就说中文的孩子会走更快的进度，练习大胆开口说，并开始认字。

Is a snack provided?提供点心吗？

Yes! Every afternoon starts with snack time, and we provide a snack for every child.

有的！每天下午都从点心时间开始，我们会为每个孩子准备点心。

How big are the classes?每班有多少个孩子？

Classes are small, about 12 kids max, so every child gets plenty of attention and lots of chances to speak.

小班教学，每班最多约12个孩子，每个孩子都有很多开口说的机会。

Are teachers background-checked?老师都经过背景调查吗？

Yes. All of our teachers are background-checked.

是的，我们所有的老师都通过了背景调查。

What is the refund/cancellation policy?退费和取消政策是什么？

You can request a refund for any remaining sessions with 2 weeks' advance notice.

Traveling? Families who travel can request refunds for the dates they'll be away, with advance notice.

提前两周通知，就可以申请退还剩余课时的费用。

要出门旅行？提前告诉我们，旅行期间的课时可以申请退费。

联系我们lián xì wǒ men

Get in Touch

Questions? I'd love to hear from you.

Email: curiouskidshere@gmail.com