Organization

20 Years of Dutch Education in California

History

The foundations for the Dutch School of Southern California (DSSoCal) were laid by employees of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Los Angeles, under the direction of then Consul J. Wever. The school, first named “Dutch School LA”, joined Stichting NOB, the supervisory organization that represents Dutch Education abroad on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Education. With the help and guidance of Stichting NOB, the board and teachers established a Dutch school within six months! The name was later changed to “Dutch School of Southern California”, as it better matched the region that served the school at the time.

The first school opened its doors in 2000 in Glendale, with approximately 30 students. Its success inspired parents and the board to do more. The Orange County location started in March 2002. The initiative for the San Diego facility was taken by the Consulate General in Los Angeles along with local parents.

Structure of the Dutch School of Southern California

The Dutch School of Southern California is a non-profit organization and operates 3 locations across Southern California: North Hollywood, Orange County and San Diego. All locations operate according to the same structure and report to the school Board. The development of our school's curriculum is the responsibility of the school principal.

In addition to physical education at our three campuses, we also offer online education. We currently have numerous students in Arizona, as well as some in Nevada, Utah and beyond, and in Tijuana. We even have a student from Amsterdam, who will be moving here in a while. There are no physical borders and we can offer our fantastic online education worldwide.

Our Mission

The mission of the Dutch School of Southern California is to provide quality Dutch* language and cultural education to students of all ages in the Southern California region on-site, and off-site fully online form. We strive to provide a uniform curriculum for all school sites in which students learn to master the Dutch language in a positive and stimulating environment. We consider interaction a very important aspect of learning and maintaining a foreign language. Our school wants to contribute to the affirmation and strengthening of the Dutch, bilingual and bi-cultural identity of the students, by paying attention to the Dutch language and the Dutch and Flemish cultures, and by providing a platform for the Dutch speaking community in a foreign language environment. We do this from the philosophy that all cultures are equal and that knowledge of different cultures and one's own cultural heritage enriches one's personality. In this way we want to contribute to the development of respect for others and for oneself.

Watch our introductory video here.

* Dutch includes Flemish or Dutch for Belgium