Frequently Asked Questions:

Thanks for contacting TBCS, the largest Chinese school in the greater Tampa Bay area. We hope the Q&A below will help you with your basic inquiries about our school in general, the programs and classes we offer to the community:

• Where is the Chinese School located?

  Since Fall 2018, the classrooms have been relocated from Cooper Hall to USF Muma College of Business (BSN) building (Due to Covid-19 Pandemic, classes are now offered exclusively online via Zoom meetings till further notice).
  Here’s the Google Map link of USF Campus and USF Muma College of Business (BSN)

• When are classes being offered?

  Class period is from 1:00PM to 4:15PM on select Sundays. Please refer to the latest calendar for exact school day for each semester. Typically, there are two class sessions on a school day. The first session is from 1:00PM to 2:30PM, and the second session is from 2:45 to 4:15PM.

• What classes do you offer?

  We are a weekend Chinese school whose primary purpose is to provide a Chinese language and culture learning environment in the Tampa Bay area. We offer Chinese classes of all levels. Other than Chinese, we also offer some supplementary classes: art, dance, SAT math, and English reading and writing. Classes are offered on select Sunday afternoons. Detailed class offering can be found on the school website Classes section.

• When is the tuition due?

  The tuition is due on first day of school.

• Is the tuition listed online a weekly fee or for the whole semester?

  Tuition listed online is for each semester.

• I had paid the registration fee for the fall semester. Do I have to pay it again for the spring semester?

  Yes. The registration fee only covers one semester and has to be paid each new semester.

• Can I pay my tuition and fees online?

  Yes, we now accept payments through PayPal or Zelle. Detail payment info will be provided once you finish the online class registration process.

• What's the deadline to get my tuition refunded in full or prorated if I decide to withdraw from school?

  To get a refund, you must withdraw within first 3 weeks of classes and pay $25 processing fee per student. Your refund amount will be the full tuition minus the classes that have been taught. Registration fees and books are not refundable. If you withdraw voluntarily after 3 weeks, no tuition will be refunded, except for some unforseen reasons like family moving away.

• The school semester has already started, should I still pay the full tuition?

  Full tuition is required if you start within three weeks of a new semester. If your child starts in the middle of the semester, the tuition will be pro-rated.

• When will the next semester start?

  Calendar for the new semester will be posted on the school website after the last day of the current semester.

• Do you offer any summer classes?

  It depends on if there will be enough students to register. We did in the past and might continue to do so.

• What summer classes do you offer?

  In the past, we offered some sumplemental classes appropriate for summer breaksonly Math and English SAT classes in the summer.

• Do you have any age requirement for your school?

  We accept school age kids. Minimum is four years old and any exception should be approved by school admin staff.

• Do you offer Chinese classes for adult students?

  It depends on the demand for such class. From time to time, we do offer adult class if there is enough demand for it; please check our current class listing to get the up-to-date class availability information.

• My son/daughter is xx year’s old, which class should he/she attend? How do I know which class is the best fit for my child?

  If your child has never learnt or has very limited exposure to Chinese, he or she should start with EDP1A or EDP1B. EDP stands for Early Development Program. EDP1A is for students from a Chinese speaking family and EDP1B is for those from a non-Chinese speaking family.
  If your child has learnt Chinese before, then he or she should be evaluated by our teacher or staff to decide which level is the best fit.

• We don’t speak Chinese at home, is there any class for my kid(s)?

  Yes, we offer EDP1B and EDP2B as introductory classes for beginners who are from a non-Chinese speaking family.

• I want to get an idea of what is taught in each class, how do I do that?

  Please click on the class link to see if Syllabus for each class can be found by clicking into each class online. If you still have questions, please e-mail admin@tampabaychineseschool.com

• Do you offer sibling discount?

  Since 2016 school year, we started to offer discount of $15 per student for each additional silbling in same family, besides the existing registration fee discount of $10 per additional sibling.

• What textbook do you use?

  Chinese Paradise for EDP classes, and Zhong Wen for regular G1 to G12 classes.

• Do you teach simplified or traditional Chinese characters?

  Simplified Chinese.

• My kids have been taught traditional Chinese characters. Do you think he/she will fit in your school?

  Yes, kids are very easy to adapt.

• The semester has already started, and we just moved to Tampa Bay area, can we still enroll our kid(s) in the school?

  It depends on how well your kids will adapt to the progress of the class. You're always welcome to come to the school and sit in for a trial out and then you make decision if you want to enroll immediately or wait till the following semester. If you enroll portion of a semester, your tuition will be prorated based on the days remaining in the semester but the registration fee is not prorated.

• What are the major school events on annual basis?

  In Spring semester, we hold a Chinese Writing Contest; from Spring 2012 on, we also hold the Student Talents Show that will coincide with the Writing Contest Award ceremony. In Fall semester, we hold the Chinese Story Telling Festival where TBCS students go on stage to tell stories in spoken Chinese. Besides these two major activities, TBCS students are also invited to perform in a variety of community or celebrative events such as Chinese New Year gala, Asian Cultural Festival, and so on.

• Questions regarding Elementary English Writing and Reading classes

  Due to lack for qualified English teacher, we no longer offer English Writing class. However, the demand is still strong among the parents, so we'll continue to seek qualified English teachers to fill the position and reopen such class in future. We welcome anyone who is qualified and feels passionate in teaching to contact us.