Framingham Adult ESL Program

CONTACT:

PO Box 4860
Framingham, MA 01704
508-626-4282
www.faesl.org

Christine Taylor, Director

DESCRIPTION:

Here is a philanthropic emergency: an agency that is being overwhelmed by demand, with people suffering as a result.

Research shows that as parents improve their English skills, they find better jobs, become more involved in their children's education and in civic affairs, and contribute more in taxes. Since 1984 the Framingham Adult ESL Program has provided free ESL instruction, citizenship classes, a parent's computer class, children's programs and counseling services. One of the greatest strengths of this ESL program is the collaborations it has made within the community. Framingham police officers give station tours and make class visits, local corporations provide language volunteers and recruit new employees, and area businesses, agencies and schools have provided space and funding.

Registration for the program's 35 government- and locally-funded classes is 18 students per class. Returning students moving up to a higher class have first preference. At most registrations, which are conducted by a lottery process, only 60 spaces are open. More than 700 adults are waiting for a seat. Hundreds of registrants line up as early, and most are turned away. "They're desperate. They need to learn for their job, for their education, for their children. They need work to get money, but they can't work without English... They leave the room in tears, and we all just feel awful." The list only grows longer.

A single class serving 15-20 students costs $4,800 per semester; instructional materials cost $15 per student (total: $225-$300); and a Family Literacy Assistant is paid $2,000 per year. Your decision.

(1997: HUMAN SERVICES: Well-Being)