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Owens Community College, Adelante, others team up to offer Expanded English as a Second Language program
Dec. 16, 2010: Read For Literacy, Owens Community College’s Adult Basic Education program, Adelante, Inc., and the Providence Center have teamed up to offer an expanded English as a Second Language program which will help Spanish-speaking adults improve their ability to read, write and speak English.
The program, which represents the first collaboration between the four organizations, will make both one-on-one tutoring and ESOL classes available to adults in the Spanish-speaking community.
The agencies are collaborating to assure that services are available in convenient community-based locations and that each adult student is assigned to the program that will best meet his or her needs. All tutoring and classes are free of charge.
Joyce Winters, Director of Owens’ Adult Basic Education program, said the partners have enjoyed working together to improve services for students. “Combining our services will provide improved service to the community and enable us to be good stewards of taxpayers’ and donors’ dollars,” she said.
ESOL Classes offered at Providence Center and Adelante
Beginning in the first week of January 2011, Adelante and Providence Center will host ESOL classes for individuals who would prefer to attend a class rather than to be tutored on a one-to-one basis. The classes will be presented by teachers from Owens Community College’s Adult Basic Education program. Classes will be held at Adelante, 520 Broadway, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at Providence Center’s new facility at 1205 Broadway on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 to 10:30 AM.
One-to-One Tutoring Available through Read For Literacy
Read For Literacy will continue to offer two levels of one-to-one tutoring – Conversational and Basic ESOL. The Conversational program is appropriate for individuals who speak some English and wish to improve their ability to read and write as well as speak in English.
The Basic ESOL program was designed for individuals who speak little or no English and who may also be illiterate or low literate in their native language. Whenever, possible individuals in the Basic ESOL program will be tutored by volunteer tutors who speak at least some Spanish.
“We have offered Basic ESOL tutoring through Spanish-speaking tutors for the past two years” said Jim Funk, Director of RFL. “This approach has enabled persons who speak virtually no English to make more rapid progress than would otherwise be the case, as tutors can explain words and concepts in Spanish when needed,” said Funk.”
44 Spanish-speaking adult students are currently being tutored by Spanish-speaking tutors, according to Funk, and many of these adult students have school-age children. “So by helping parents become more fluent in English, we also help create a home environment that helps the children succeed in school,” he said.
Persons who are interested in attending the classes or receiving tutoring should call Brian Halbisen or April Elizondo at Read For Literacy at 419-242-7323 or visit RFL’s offices in the main library at 325 North Michigan Street. Or they may call or visit either the Providence Center or Adelante for more information.
RFL currently has a need for 20 additional Spanish-speaking volunteer tutors. Individuals who would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer tutor are encouraged to contact Read For Literacy.
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