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Tzu Chi Academy
Chicago
Welcome!
2026-2027 School Year Registration
School is to begin on 9/13/2026 (tentative), and takes place every Sunday between 1:00pm – 4:30pm
2026-2027 Enrollment
Requirements
- Age: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten student registrations must meet the following requirements (Birth Certificate is required.):
- Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K): Age 3 – 5, born on or before 8/31/2023.
- Kindergarten (K): Age 5 -6, born on or before 8/31/2021.
- New students aged 6 or younger (as of 8/31) from non-mandarin-speaking regions can only be placed in Grade 1 or lower.
- Placement test/Assessment (please contact Office of Academic Affairs) is required for new students registering for First Grade or higher, or for a CFL class.
- Uniform: School uniforms (summer polo shirts or winter sweaters) are $20 each. Uniform fees are subject to change (as costs change) without notice. Navy blue pants (no jeans) need to be purchased separately at retail stores. When purchasing uniforms from the school, please write a separate check from the tuition/fee.
- Parent Volunteer Hours: Parents are encouraged to participate in school activities during the school year and volunteer for duties during the school year.
Tuition & Registration Fees
Tuition
- Tuition and fees are $670/student for the school year.
It includes the tuition, homework material fee, and basic extracurricular tuition but does not include applicable extracurricular material fee.
- Extracurricular is required for students registering at the 1st grade or higher (CFL-Beginner or higher for CFL Track).
For students (such as CFL-EC, Pre-K, and K) who are not required to take an extracurricular class and who choose not to register for an extracurricular class, they will receive a reduction of tuition and fee of $160/student (tuition and fee=$510).
- If there are 3 or more children from the same family registering, a $30 tuition/fee reduction will be given to the 3rd child’s registration.
Registration Fees
- Registration processing fee is non-refundable and is $20 per student. The registration processing fee is required for new students. The registration processing fee can be waived for current students if the online pre-registration and extra-curricular class selection is completed before 8pm on 4/25/26 and complete the registration process and remit the fee by 5/17/26.
Registration Process
The Registration process consists of the following steps:
- On-line registration form and extracurricular class submission
- Invoice emailed out after verification of the registration form and extra-curricular class selection.
- Payment and required documents
On-line registration form and extracurricular class submission dates:
| Date and Time | Eligibility | |
| Priority Registration Period | 4/19/26 8:00 PM – 4/25/26 8:00 PM | Current students, siblings of current students, and children of teachers or staff members. |
| General Registration Period | 4/25/26 8:00 PM – 9/6/26 | All students |
| General Registration Period ends | On or after 9/6/26 | Students who do not complete the on-line Registration by 9/5/26 will need to email school before registration. |
Invoice schedule:
| Online registration completion date | Invoice schedule | Payment method |
| 4/19/26 – 4/25/26 | By 5/2/26 | In-person at School* |
| 4/26/26 – 5/10/26 | By 5/16/26 | In-person at School* |
| 5/11/26 – 9/6/26 | Within 10 days* | In-person at School**. By mail during summer break |
| 9/6/26 以後 | Within 10 days* | In-person at School* |
Important Notes
- If a family has more than 1 student to pre-register, please re-click the pre-registration link every time in order to complete the full process for each student.
- Please keep in mind that the emails and the phone #’s you provided in the pre-registration will be used for pre-registration confirmation, as well as any future communication from school. Please make sure they are correctly entered and they are email addresses you frequently monitor.
- New and transferred students will need to pre-registered during their designated pre-registration periods. If a student is pre-registered before they are eligible, his/her pre-registration will be cancelled and all the selected classes will be released to other qualified students. This student will need to re-submit his/her pre-registration during the assigned periods again.
- The on-line pre-registration form can be submitted through desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. If you encounter an issue during submission, please try using other devices or browsers.
- TCAC reserves the right to cancel or combine classes due to low registration.
Extra Curricular
Please refer to the “Extracurricular” section in the REGISTRATION INFO to see the class options before registering.
Extracurricular is required for students attending the 1st grade or higher on the heritage track. For CFL-track, extracurricular is required for students in CFL-Beginner or higher. Extracurricular class vacancies are filled as the registrations are processed. After an extracurricular class has reached its maximum capacity, no new registration for the class will be accepted. Unless otherwise noted, each extracurricular class is subject to a 6-registered-student minimum requirement. No extracurricular selection change will be allowed after the 3rd lesson begins.
Payment Info & Refund Policy
Payment Info
Tuitions and/or fees must be paid in checks. No cash will be accepted. Please make checks payable to Tzu Chi.
When making payments for multiple students/registrations, please write separate checks for each student/registration. Please note: uniform fees require separate checks.
Refund Policy
Please refer to the “Refund Process and Rules” section in the REGISTRATION INFO
Course Features and Material
Class | Course Features | Material |
Pre Kindergarten | Students explore and learn Chinese in imaginative and playful ways through games and activities. | [Little Bean Learn Chinese] & other learning material |
Kindergarten | Students learn Pinyin and basic vocabulary to establish the foundation of accurate Chinese pronunciation. | Let’s Learn Chinese |
1st to 4th Grade | Students learn to recognize Chinese words, Chinese character composition and use phrases to make sentences. Incorporate recording homework to improve students’ pronunciation and expression capability. | Let’s Learn Chinese |
5th to 7th Grade | Students learn words, phrases and use Pinyin for Chinese typing. Incorporate stories and idioms to enrich students’ vocabulary; teach basic articles writing skill from using phrases and sentence to create paragraph. | Let’s Learn Chinese |
8th to 9th Grade | Through the balanced curriculum design of listening, speaking, reading, thinking and writing, students learn to utilize Chinese and improve their writing skills. | Let’s Learn Chinese |
CFL (Chinese as Foreign Language) Class | Through situated teaching, teachers will create practical life scenarios in classrooms while utilizing educational materials and tools to facilitate learning. Students will be encouraged to learn through dialogue and listening to maximize their understanding and the usage of the Chinese. | Let’s Learn Chinese |
Announcements
Class time
9:00 – 9:50 am Chinese Class (First Period)
10:00 – 10:50 am Chinese Class (Second Period)
11:00 – 11:50 am Chinese Class (Third Period)
Who We Are
Educational Mission
Guided by the holistic education philosophy of Tzu Chi’s founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, we begin with the heart. Embracing the spirit of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, and upholding the values of sincerity, integrity, trust, and honesty, we integrate humanistic education with language education.
Our goal is to teach students growing up overseas not only to learn the Chinese language, but also to be nurtured in the richness of traditional culture. We strive to cultivate proper ethical values, moral character, and sound principles for conduct and interpersonal relationships.
Through life etiquette courses, students learn to understand and embody the true meaning of “gratitude, respect, and love.” As they grow, the essence of humanistic education is gradually and naturally integrated into their daily lives.
Our unique Jing Si Aphorisms teaching approach plants seeds of goodness in children’s hearts from an early age. Beginning with education of the heart and guided by wisdom, we encourage children to learn contentment, gratitude, understanding, and tolerance, while inspiring conscience, inner potential, and compassion.
The curriculum covers a broad range of topics, including:
- Life education (e.g., etiquette and good habits)
- Character education (e.g., honesty and doing good deeds)
- Life values education (e.g., respect and filial piety)
- Environmental education (e.g., cherishing resources)
In addition to regular classes, students also have opportunities to participate in community service activities such as visiting senior housing communities, community outreach distributions, and disaster relief fundraising. Through these experiences, they cultivate compassion and kindness, and develop the habit of giving back to society from a young age.
Our goal is to teach students growing up overseas not only to learn the Chinese language, but also to be nurtured in the richness of traditional culture. We strive to cultivate proper ethical values, moral character, and sound principles for conduct and interpersonal relationships.
Through life etiquette courses, students learn to understand and embody the true meaning of “gratitude, respect, and love.” As they grow, the essence of humanistic education is gradually and naturally integrated into their daily lives.
Our unique Jing Si Aphorisms teaching approach plants seeds of goodness in children’s hearts from an early age. Beginning with education of the heart and guided by wisdom, we encourage children to learn contentment, gratitude, understanding, and tolerance, while inspiring conscience, inner potential, and compassion.
The curriculum covers a broad range of topics, including:
- Life education (e.g., etiquette and good habits)
- Character education (e.g., honesty and doing good deeds)
- Life values education (e.g., respect and filial piety)
- Environmental education (e.g., cherishing resources)
In addition to regular classes, students also have opportunities to participate in community service activities such as visiting senior housing communities, community outreach distributions, and disaster relief fundraising. Through these experiences, they cultivate compassion and kindness, and develop the habit of giving back to society from a young age.
Gallery
2021-2022 Jing Si Aphorisms Painting Exhibition
May 27, 2023
News
A Welcoming Place for Every Child
Tzu Chi Academy, Chicago
Phone: 630-963-6601
Email: [email protected]
School Location :
Prairieview School
699 Plainfield Rd.,
Downers Grove, IL 60516
Hours: every Sunday 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM
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Tzu Chi Academy was first established in Los Angeles in 1994 under Tzu Chi USA education departmentwith a unique focus on teaching students Chinese language and culture and the practice of joyous giving by showing sincere compassion. Learn more
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