The Japanese Language School of Philadelphia (JLSP), founded in 1972, is a not-for-profit 501-3(c) organization recognized by the State of Pennsylvania and partially funded by the Ministry of Education of the Japanese Government.
The School is governed by the Board of Trustees, administered by the Principal who is assigned by the Japanese government, and operated by a group of dedicated professional educators and parents.
The School offers instruction in 20 programs within four broad categories:
1.) Japanese curriculum, as defined by the Ministry of Education, grades 1 thru 12
2.) Japanese as a Heritage Language (JHL) classes for children, ages 6 thru 18
3.) Japanese as a Second Language (JSL) classes for adults
4.) Japanese pre-school classes, age 4 thru 6
Classes are held weekly on Saturdays, according to the Japanese school calendar from April to March (except for JSL classes, which begins in Sept) on the campus of Friend’s Central School in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Currently there is a highly diversified population of over 230 students from a broad area of Southeast Pennslyvania, Delaware, and New Jersey studying at the JLSP, supported by 30 teachers and staff.
The Japanese Ministry curriculum (Category 1 above) follow guidelines from the Ministry of Education, such as Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The textbooks used in these programs are the same as those used in domestic schools in Japan. The Japanese government has approved the curriculum to assure that JLSP provides the equivalent level of Japanese education scheduled at the same pace as the Japanese domestic schools. Therefore, JLSP students complete each grade in the same school year as their counterparts in Japan. These high-level programs provide a smooth transition from the United States education program to the Japanese domestic education program when participants and families return to Japan.
For the information of our JHL program (Category 2), please refer to the page “Japanese as a Heritage Language for Children.”
The JSL program (Category 3) is offered at elementary and advanced levels to educate participants in Japanese language and culture and to promote friendship between Japan and the United States.