Provider Spotlight: Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, Inc. (CCACC)

October 29, 2019


We recently caught up with the CCACC to learn more about their organization. They will soon be celebrating 37 years of service to their community. Here is what Felicia Tchen, Administrative Specialist & Education Division Assistant shared with us:

Established in 1982 as an organization of local community activities, the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, Inc. (CCACC) has evolved into a major information and services provider of community services for Chinese Americans in the Metropolitan Washington DC area. Its mission is to enrich families through educational, cultural, health, and social service programs, and to promote mutual understanding, awareness, and appreciation of Chinese and American cultures and heritages. CCACC was founded and run by volunteers, and remains an organization largely composed of volunteers today.

The CCACC Adult ESOL program was established in 1988 as a vital tool for integrating non-English speaking residents into the community, especially Chinese immigrants looking to better adapt to their new life in the U.S. The program is especially important to our organization, as nearly all of the staff and volunteers are 1st generation U.S. citizens themselves. We conduct citizenship application workshops in collaboration with the US Citizenship Immigration Service and provide citizenship preparation classes to prepare applicants for the interview process, in addition to conducting career training seminars and workshops to help immigrants seeking to apply for employment. Over the years, the program has grown from one single class to over 20 classes a year today.

Almost 100% of the learners enrolled in our ESOL program are Chinese. We have both males and females (with more females than males) and their ages range from 22 to 75. All of the students come from China, with a handful of them being new immigrants hoping to settle down in the country and get a job.

CCACC employs a vast array of programs to achieve its mission. Aside from the Adult ESOL program, we also run an After-School Enrichment program 5-days a week for elementary school children and operate CLAPS Chinese School on weekends for people of all ages seeking to learn Chinese. The Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinic (PAVHC) helps low income residents receive medical and mental health care, regardless of insurance status, and free of language barriers. We also have an Adult Day Health Care Center for seniors, providing them transportation to the doctors, as well as the service of on-site nurses 7-days a week. That way, they can come socialize and participate in various activities throughout the week without worry. Our Evergreen Club provides opportunities for seniors to be active within the community, combating the sense of isolation that many of them face. Moreover, we have a Home Care program for those in need of assistance cooking, cleaning, and doing chores around the house. CCACC is also home to a variety of clubs and activities, with everything from arts and crafts, music, dance, martial arts, photography, sports...the list goes on.  Finally, our CCACC Art Gallery hosts the artwork of both local and international, Asian and Western artists throughout the year. There's something for everyone at CCACC - come pay us a visit and we'll show you around!

ZhengYun was in our citizenship preparation class. She was a very hardworking student but was a little shy and nervous about taking the test. However, she passed the test just a few months ago! She came back to share her experiences with the current citizenship class and answered many of their questions. She encourages all students taking the citizenship test not to be afraid to ask questions during the test, and to just do their best.

We are planning on organizing a potluck dinner around Christmas time with our ESOL students. Our students are all on different schedules, making it hard to get everyone together, but we would like to celebrate with our students outside of the classroom and thank them for all their hard work in trying to learn English to get more involved with the community.

Every year, we are always looking for native English-speakers to help with interviews during the preparation period prior to the citizenship exam. We greatly welcome any and all individuals interested in helping!

The CCACC is a great example of the spectrum of providers in our coalition. We partner with organizations that community members trust, that are culturally competent and connected to learner populations.

End-of-Year Celebration Recap

By Kairy Castro Barrios • June 18, 2025
Last Friday, June 13th, 2025, MCAEL hosted its End-of-Year Celebration & Sharing Session, attended by adult English Instructors and program staff representing 24 programs from the MCAEL network. This End-of-Year Celebration was designed to bring ESOL professionals together to celebrate their dedication and commitment to helping a community of non-native English speakers learn English as a second language, thereby supporting them in their daily lives. Their passion for teaching English as a second language contributed to everyone's eagerness to share the ways their lessons work, teaching methods that engage learners, and identifying the specific instruction skills they'd like to develop. One English instructor mentioned that, towards the end of class, she plays "Hangman" with the learners to help with spelling words; so far, no one has been hanged!  All English instructors and program staff share a common goal: to make a difference in their communities and make a direct impact on those around them. During this celebration, they were asked, “what inspired you to work in the ESOL field?" Instructors mentioned that enabling a community to learn English empowers them to grow and better integrate themselves within society. Brenda Voit, an ESOL instructor at the nonprofit Identity, mentioned that she is an English instructor who fulfills community needs and is passionate about the work she does. Christine Patton; an ESOL teacher at JSSA, spoke about her family’s personal experience emigrating from Germany to the United States and the shared frustrations of not knowing English, as well as navigating that experience in their daily lives. Christine views Montgomery County’s ability to provide free and accessible English classes as a reassuring sign of support. This invaluable resource can make a difference in the lives of many, creating a vibrant, growing coalition of Adult English learners. Kairy Castro Barrios MCAEL Intern

Not “Just” English Classes

By Gerard Etienne • June 17, 2025
This past Saturday, I was invited to speak at the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA)’s Learning English Together graduation ceremony – and what a wonderful event it was! The first thing that surprised me was the number of people in attendance: there were over 320 attendees, of which 146 were proud graduates. Even more impressive is the fact that there were another 150 graduates who did not attend the ceremony! But what stood out even more was how important this ceremony clearly was to so many of the learners. As a guest speaker, I joined the entrance procession and lined up with the graduates. The pride and excitement were palpable, not just among the learners, but among the instructors as well. Almost everyone was dressed up for the occasion. This was the first clue that these weren’t “just” English classes to the graduates—this was a meaningful milestone, a real achievement. As the ceremony progressed and certificates were awarded, several learners gave speeches. I found myself nearly in tears as I listened to them describe what learning English had meant in their lives. It would be easy to reduce ESOL classes to simply language instruction for immigrants—but these classes are so much more than that.  They are a gateway to connection, self-expression, better jobs, and more education. They foster belonging, friendships, relationships, and a kind of freedom that only language can provide. For many learners, these classes are truly life-changing, as many of the student speakers described. And the fact that these classes were so meaningful to them is a testament to the care and quality of instruction that JSSA and its instructors have provided. As each speaker shared their story, I thought back to my own English-learning journey. I could relate strongly to their experiences: the feeling of isolation, the frustration of not being able to say the simplest things, the fear of picking up the phone, the avoidance and anxiety around engaging with others. And the feeling of sometimes being reduced to “someone who doesn’t speak English” – as if that’s all there was to me. Learning English is a way out of those limitations. It gives learners the chance to grow, to build relationships, and to show who they really are. Congratulations to the graduates!

MCAEL Announces $1,465,853 in Grants to Support Adult ESOL Learning in Montgomery County

By Emma Starr • June 16, 2025
The Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL), announces $1,465,853 in grants awarded to support adult English language learning programs across Montgomery County. Funding for the grants is provided in partnership with the Montgomery County Government, with the support of County Executive Marc Elrich and the Montgomery County Council. Adult English language learners experience life-changing benefits as participants in these programs, from being able to navigate the health system and their children’s schools, to attaining better-paying jobs. The goal of the MCAEL grants program is to increase the availability of adult ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) services that support identified community needs and diverse populations, while also improving the quality of those services. Blanca, who was a teacher in Guatemala and is now a housekeeper, is currently enrolled in her third consecutive English language class. She says learning English has “made communication with doctors, teachers – everyone – easier. I have more confidence and am able to speak clearly with others.” Blanca hopes to eventually get a better-paying job so that “I can continue to raise my family in the U.S. while also supporting those still living in Guatemala. But my most important goal is to see my three children graduate from college.” This year, grants have been awarded to 24 organizations that provide 29 programs across Montgomery County, including eight brand new programs, both small and large in scale. In addition, MCAEL is actively pursuing the expansion of services to communities where adult ESOL learning opportunities are scarce and there are increased barriers to participation. MCAEL thanks the panel of community members who donated extensive time and energy to review and evaluate the grant applications. MCAEL also thanks the Montgomery County Government for increasing funding for program grants this year, as well as for their ongoing support of English language learning opportunities in Montgomery County. Read the complete Grants Announcement.