About The
Long Island Little dragons chinese school

HISTORY OF LILDCS

Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School (LILDCS) Inc. was registered in October 2013 as a non-profit educational organization in New York. In March 2016, LILDCS Inc. received its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status from IRS. Formerly known as "The Little Dragons (TLD)," it started its Saturday morning classes in September of 2007 at Dawnwood Middle School in Centereach in partnership with the Taiwanese American Association on Long Island (TAALI), a local non-for-profit organization. Starting in September of 2022, our new "home" is now at Centereach High School.

Students with or without Chinese language background are assigned to various levels of classes that consist of at most 12 students in each class. LILDCS also offers various cultural classes to further expand its students in knowledge of Chinese cultures such as Yo-Yo, calligraphy, paper folding, Chinese painting, water coloring, and/or Chinese-song singing.

A week-long cultural summer day-camp is held in July or August each year from 2008 to 2017 with 2 or 3 Taiwanese cultural teachers and some local cultural teachers, plus volunteers in providing campers the best Asian cultural experience full of fun and excitement!

1. The Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School Inc. is a nonprofit Chinese school organized for the local community and for all persons interested in the Chinese language and culture. The school is controlled and owned by the parents of our students. Parents and volunteers perform all of the administration duties.

2. The day-to-day operation is administered by an Administration Committee elected from the parent group and local volunteers. The Administration Committee coordinates and delegates separate committees to provide for the smooth functioning of the school. All administrations are subject to review and approval by the School Board that establishes all school policies and scheduling. Members of the School Board are elected by the parents.

3. The school curriculum is planned to provide for the development and learning of the social, intellectual, and language skills of traditional Chinese language and culture. The curriculum includes not only writing, reading, and daily conversation in Chinese, but also a wide variety of cultural activities and programs. Our primary goal is to teach our children Chinese reading, writing, and speaking Mandarin Chinese, and to instill into future generations the basis for continuing the learning of Chinese heritage.

4. Nothing herein shall authorize Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School Inc. to operate, maintain or manage a charter school, a nursery school, an elementary school, a secondary school, a college, university or to advertise or offer credit-bearing courses or degrees in New York State.

5. Nothing herein shall authorize Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School Inc. to operate or maintain a library, museum, archive or historical society or to own or hold collections.

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY
AS TO STUDENTS

The Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policy, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administrated programs.

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FAQs for Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School:

Q1: How old can one register at our Chinese School?
A1: We welcome kids to register as early as 4 or 5 years-old.

Q2:Can I sit in the classroom to help my children?
A2: Please ask permission from your child’s teacher.

Q3: How much does it cost per year (28 ~ 30 Saturday's classes)?
A3: It is $450 for in-district (Middle Country Central School District) students and $550 for out-district students. A $50 early registration discount can be applied by the last class in June.

Q4: Where and when do you meet?
A4: We meet once a week on Saturday mornings at 9 AM for 2 hours at Centereach High School (14 43rd Street, Centereach, NY 11720) from September to June each year.

Q5: Do you offer cultural classes?
A5: Yes. Students registered for the Chinese language class can participate in each cultural class for free on selected Saturdays at 11 AM for about an hour.

Q6: What is the average class size?
A6: The class size is about 4 to 12 students per class.

Q7: Do you offer adult classes?
A7: Depending on enrollment, we may offer adult classes.

Q8: Is there a place for parents and siblings to stay during the school time?
A8: Yes, there is a Parents' Room (Room 129) for parents to stay and chat. Parents are welcome to stay near the Sign-in desk and
chat with the Parent-on-Duty or other parents.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School (LILDCS). The Long Island Little Dragons Chinese School was founded in 2007 and registered in 2013 with the missions to educate the young generation to learn the traditional Chinese language and cultures.

Our school is a non-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Its strengths lie in devoted teachers and concerned parents. With everyone’s help, we strive to create an enticing environment for our students in learning Chinese and to participate in the activities organized by the school. Our school prides in offering small class size to allow each student to have the greatest opportunity to interact with his/her teacher and classmates.

Thanks to Middle Country Central School District’s support, we are able to use Centereach High School on Saturdays free of charge. Our school finance is maintained via the combination of tuitions, fundraising activities, and the consistent financial support from Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York.

The School Board (SB) and School Administrative Committee (SAC) are composed of professionals from various backgrounds. They are devoted volunteers who work hard to promote the missions of the school and to make and implement school policies to benefit our students and teachers. Over the past decade, the School Board has sponsored a variety of programs (such as summer camps, Suffolk County Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebrations in May, annual Lunar New Year Celebrations, ..., etc) to fulfill its missions.

On behalf of the School Board, I would like to thank all our teachers for their devotion and the parents’ trust in our school. We will continue to work hard to fulfill our duties and make our students enjoy learning the beautiful Chinese language and cultures. We know your child(ren) will benefit tremendously from the teaching of our dedicated teachers in the coming years. Please feel free to contact me or other School Board members if you have any suggestions to make the learning environment even better.

Very truly yours,

Jim Young, Ph.D., Principal