About US

Chinese Language and Culture

Kalamazoo Chinese Academy (KCA) is a 501c(3) non-profit educational organization dedicated to providing Chinese language and cultural experiences to youth from all cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in the greater Kalamazoo area.

The curriculum has been well-designed for students to develop both their oral and written communication skills in the Chinese language. In addition to language instruction, our school offers many opportunities to participate in Chinese cultural programs. This includes cultural classes in our school and participation in various festivals in our community.

Mission

To provide Chinese language and cultural experiences to K-12 students from all cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in the greater Kalamazoo community.

Vision

To bridge the culture gap and enhance the community's understanding of Chinese culture. To prepare students for meaningful and successful participation in the global environment.

卡城中文学校致力于为本地的华裔及非华裔家庭提供一个中华文化传承与传播的平台。我们与西密西根大学亚洲事务部合作，本着“寓教于乐，搭建文化桥梁”的宗旨，为学生提供各种文化交流活动的机会，让学生深入体验中华文化的魅力。

More About Us

In addition to offering heritage and non-heritage Chinese language classes for various proficiency levels, KCA also offers cultural enrichment programs and activities that are engaging, entertaining, enlightening, and educational. Our performing arts programs include Chinese dance, Chinese yoyo, and lion dance classes. Our visual arts programs include Chinese art and Chinese fashion design classes.

Chinese dance classes are offered for multiple age groups with or without prior dance experience. Classes include Chinese folk, ballet, and creative movements, and are a beautiful fusion of various dance styles and techniques. Chinese yoyo (diabolo) classes provide an opportunity for youth to come together to play this ancient spinning game that provides endless levels of skill development, challenge, and entertainment. Students gather to learn challenging new tricks while perfecting dazzling routines, with more experienced students helping novice students learn how to spin, toss, and perform various other tricks. Lion dance classes, which are a hybrid of dance and martial arts, help the younger generation connect with this long-standing tradition while incorporating greater gender inclusion. Chinese art classes integrates traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern elements, blending traditional Chinese elements with Western techniques and ideas to create artworks through the lens of Asian-inspired modern experiences and global perspectives.

KCA supports local businesses and nonprofits by collaborating with local organizations and participating in local events, such as the China Festival hosted by WMU, Chinese New Year Gala hosted by the Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo (CAGK), Art Hop hosted by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the building of a Chinese language book section at Portage District Library, etc. At some of these events, KCA dance students and YoYo club members get the opportunity to perform and show off their talents, serve as cultural ambassadors, and celebrate their rising confidence and pride as Chinese Americans and/or as performers.

As the world grows more diverse each day, it becomes more and more important for our youth to develop an appreciation toward other languages and cultures and to be globally competent. KCA provides youth access to a unique opportunity to develop global competence that would otherwise not be available in the greater Kalamazoo community. Non-heritage youth have the opportunity to learn another language at a younger age, when language acquisition is often faster and easier. Additionally, KCA creates an environment where heritage youth can appreciate, embrace, and celebrate their Chinese heritage and develop their identity as Asian Americans. Together, students and families from both heritage and non-heritage backgrounds come together to build community and work together to achieve common goals. When our youth are globally aware and feel a sense of belonging and a connection to their community, they are more likely to participate in and contribute to their community, and the civic engagement of our new generation is critical to our democracy.

Kalamazoo Chinese Academy does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, protected disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, height, weight, or marital status.

History

Message from the founder, Mrs. Grace Li

The idea of starting a Chinese language school to teach the young Chinese children came to my mind in the late spring of 1972 when my daughter, who was a second-grader then, began to speak to me in English after school. The concept became stronger when I saw more young Chinese children losing their Mandarin-speaking ability as they started elementary school. I eventually started the first class of the Kalamazoo Chinese School in 1972 on a Sunday afternoon in the basement of my house. There were eight students, ages 5 through 8. The goals for the students of the school were:

To learn enough Chinese to be able to use the language to communicate with Chinese speaking people and organizations.
To learn enough Chinese characters to be able to read Chinese children's books and to communicate with Chinese-speaking people in simple writings.
To raise awareness and understanding of Chinese cultures, such as Chinese New Year, Lion Dance, Autumn Festival, and so on.

I am very happy to see that the Chinese school has continued to grow and serve families after 48 years. It is meaningful to help our children to become aware of their Chinese heritage background, and also to help non-Chinese families understand Chinese culture.