The Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) in partnership with the Council for Teaching Filipino Language and Culture (CTFLC), and leveraging the Expanded Learning Opportunity Programs (ELOP) Grant, has further expanded our groundbreaking Filipino Language and Culture After School Program (FilCASP) by making the program available across the five local CVESD schools with the highest Filipino student enrollment.

The inaugural CVESD FilCASP program commenced at Salt Creek in 2018 with 30 students. Since then, it has flourished, now engaging over 134 students who are given the opportunity to learn their ancestral language and fully immerse themselves in Filipino cultural values and traditions. Students are taught by native Tagalog speakers who are active members of CTFLC. In fact, many program instructors are retired high school Filipino foreign language teachers. The program session includes a ten-week cycle of instruction and ends with a culminating cultural event. The FilCASP culminating event is a showcase that highlights all the accomplishments of the participating students. In front of an audience made up of the larger community, the students recite poems, sing songs, and perform skits in Tagalog. They also perform simple versions of traditional Filipino cultural dances. Along with the performances, the community and students enjoy a buffet of Filipino foods at the end of session celebration.

The Filipino student population is the second highest student group represented in CVESD, at 9% of the total population, about 2,500 students. At CVESD we believe that understanding and celebrating the cultures and heritages represented in the population we serve is vital to nurturing each student’s sense of self as well as building a strong community. We believe that the expansion of this program and our unwavering support of similar cultural programs underscores our commitment to fostering our diverse community.