School Profile
OX TLC International School
School Overview
Every parent wants to provide the best possible education for his or her child. It is often difficult to find a school that offers a balanced, nurturing environment as well as high quality academic instruction. TLC International School is uniquely qualified to exceed those expectations. Located in Dongguan, China, TLC offers a college preparatory program for students from all around the world using an American based curriculum. We serve approximately 300 students from Nursery three to twelfth grade. We are currently a member school with ACSI, completed our accreditation visit in April 2015, and are awaiting our final confirmation of accreditation through ACSI in July.
School History
TLC International School was founded in 2007 by Dr. Craig and Mrs. Jamie Kempf after decades of experience in teaching and administrating in American school settings. They came to China in 2002 invited by a local university to lead their English Training Department with a passion and desire to use education to reach the people around them. However, after some exposure to the local international schools in Dongguan, they saw a need for a Christian international school in this area. Dongguan is located in Southeast China about two hours north of Hong Kong. Dongguan is a large city with more than fourteen million people who are involved in multiple different types of business. It was at this time that three expatriate families who were looking for a school for their children approached the Kempfs. They wanted to find a school that would teach strong moral character as well as hire Christian teachers with a loving approach and strong grasp on absolute truth. The mission that the Kempfs established for the school was to plant seeds of knowledge that can grow to equip students, academically, socially, physically, and spiritually for temporal and eternal success. Trinity Learning Center began with those three families and their children into two small apartments. It did not take long for other families to find out about TLC and they wanted their children to benefit from the nurturing environment. TLC began using a structured curriculum and building the foundation for students to one day thrive at international universities, studying completely in English Universities.
The school quickly outgrew the small apartments and in the 2008-2009 school year it moved into the Splendid Land clubhouse building that was largely vacant at the time. In 2010-2011, TLC had grown to 118 students by the end of that school year. In 2011-2012, TLC began planning for its growth by expanding to a second campus at our Niushan location. TLC finished year five with170 students. In 2012-2013, TLC officially created the secondary campus at Niushan for 5th-10th grades. The faculty and student population continued to grow and year six finished with 212 students. The reputation of TLC had a swift impact on the growth of the student body. The founding families of TLC used word of mouth advertising to communicate to Dongguan that TLC had produced outstanding results in their children. TLC’s growth can only be attributed to the hand of God that is protecting, guiding and providing favor for our school.
In 2013-2014, Trinity Learning Center became TLC International School. Today TLC International School has 4 full time administrators, 35 foreign teachers, 27 Chinese teachers, over 100 total staff members, and a student body of over 300 made up of students from 17 different countries. TLC will have its first graduating class in June 2015. TLC has had several students whose parents’ jobs have been transferred back to their home countries, requiring them to withdraw from our program.
The feedback we have received is that TLC students not only were able to easily mainstream back into the local schools in their home countries, but actually preferred the education TLC provided. What started in three small apartments has now grown into a recognized educational institution in the period of a few short years.
TLC completed its accreditation with ACSI in April 2015 and is awaiting final confirmation of accreditation in July 2015.