Tzu Chi Academy of Los Angeles Reaches Thirty Congratulations to Tzu Chi USA’s 25 Academies for Receiving Academic Accreditation by ACS WASC

In April 1994, Tzu Chi established its first overseas academy, the Tzu Chi Academy, Los Angeles, in Monrovia, Southern California. This April is the 30th anniversary of Tzu Chi’s provision of Chinese language and humanities education in the U.S. Recently, Tzu Chi USA’s Academies have been accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) in the category of Language and Culture; which means that all 25 Tzu Chi Academies in the United States will become WASC-accredited schools, an essential milestone for Tzu Chi’s education mission in the United States.

Tzu Chi Academies provide extracurricular education for school-age children and teenagers on weekends. In addition to teaching Chinese language skills, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and the essence of Chinese culture, the Tzu Chi Academy’s most distinctive feature is the incorporation of Tzu Chi’s philosophy of humanism and the teaching of Jing Si Aphorism by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, with particular emphasis on the character development of the students. The Tzu Chi Academy also encourages students and their parents to participate in various volunteer activities to cultivate compassion and a sense of social responsibility, help students develop physically and mentally, and promote harmonious parent-child relationships.

“Tzu Chi Academy, Los Angeles, has been established for 30 years! Being 30 is a new starting point for education and a longer-term mission. Tzu Chi education advocates humanistic, moral, intellectual, physical, and spiritual cultivation while accompanying the development of intergenerational connections between parents and children,” said Tzu Chi USA CEO Debra Bourdeaux. “As we move toward another 30-year milestone, Tzu Chi USA’s education team will focus more on curriculum planning, humanistic education, the parent-child relationship, cultivating children’s positive mental and physical energy, and course development incorporating AI teaching. We are thankful to all the faculty, admin staff, and volunteers; we are also grateful to people who vest their trust in Tzu Chi and for encouraging the children to spend their weekends learning about humanities education and their regular schooling.”

Ching Shih, Director of the Tzu Chi USA Education Development Office, which is in charge of the Tzu Chi USA Humanities Education Program, said, “WASC is one of the six regional education accrediting organizations in the United States and works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools of the U.S. Department of State. The accreditation of Tzu Chi Academies is a recognition of Tzu Chi’s efforts in American communities. Through the selfless dedication and commitment of the Tzu Chi Academies staff and volunteers, we hope to continue to develop Chinese language and humanities education sustainably, and we look forward to continuing to establish our roots to fulfill our mission of cultivating more talents to contribute to the community in the future.”