The Chinese Language School of Fairfield County (CLS-FC) located in Rippowam School in Stamford, Connecticut is a non-profit organization. It was established in 1975 by a group of enthusiastic parents. Our school focuses on developing practical skills in listening, speaking, reading, typing and writing. The curriculum integrates the study of the language with the study of Chinese culture. In our fun and nurturing environment, students have many chances to interact with members of the Chinese community and share their learning experiences with their peers. Over the years, we have successfully prepared many of our graduates to continue advanced college-level studies in Chinese.
Class Levels - CLS offers classes in 11 levels, starting from pre-kindergarten. We offer separate tracks in "traditional" and "simplified" writing systems. Transfer students will be placed in the appropriate level depending on the proficiency.
Parent Participation - Our school relies on parents and volunteers for its day-to-day operations. The success of the students and the school can only be assured with the active involvement of parents. Our teachers are often recruited from the most dedicated parents.
Faculty - Our teachers are experience native speakers with university degrees who participate in ongoing training in teaching. One of our faculty members was honored as the Best Teacher - 2004 by the East Coast division of the Association of Chinese Schools.
Language Program - In the pre-kindergarten class, students learn simple words through nursery rhymes and songs. At higher levels, our teachers have designed rich teaching materials to help the students apply the language to their daily lives. We use Hua Yu (New Edition) for the "traditional" system track and Standard Chinese for the "simplified" system track.
Culture Program - We systematically introduce Chinese culture and history. Our cultural classes include arts & crafts, calligraphy, Chinese chess, Chinese painting, chorus, folk-dancing and kung-fu. For adults, we also offer ballroom dancing, calligraphy, Chinese painting, conversational Chinese, and tai-chi. As part of the cultural classes, we celebrate Chinese holidays and arrange eye-opening field trips and educational exhibitions.

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