The Long Island Conservatory in Albertson will be offering its second year of free ESL courses starting in February, according to executive director Patricia Schust.
The program, which will be offered to residents of Nassau county at 1125 Willis Ave. in Albertson, will admit 35 students based on income, Schust said. While there is no set range, Schust said households with low to moderate income are eligible for the free course.
“I don’t feel that a person’s income should impact their ability to learn English,” she said.
Applicants are also chosen based on the number of family members per household, Schust said.
“The more people in one household trying to learn English the easier it is for everyone,” she said.
While ESL courses are offered to children in schools for three years they do not provide enough time to learn the language, Schust said.
“Three years is not enough,” she said. “Especially in Asian cultures where the writing is so different.”
Schust said learning English could take anywhere from five to seven years depending on the person’s background and ability to learn and added that it is important for everyone to have a grasp of the English language, not just students.
“Adults tend to feel more comfortable when they can speak English and communicate with people,” she said. “Parents can communicate with their children’s friends and at job interviews.”
Annie Hwang, director of the ESL Program said the program is important for immigrants who have moved to the United States.
“A lot of people have immigrated to this country and find it difficult to communicate,” she said.
Schust said that students may have a hard time completing homework when nobody is available to help.
“The majority of beneficiaries are students from low-income immigrant families and just by completing their homework that is up to standard, they can keep up with the school curriculum,” she said in a statement. “Another strength of the program is that due to a relatively intimate size of our program, the students can ask questions that arise at any time and be given immediate attention from teachers.”
Last year Schust, who has been the executive director for seven years, ran the first set of free classes, she said.
“Going into our second year, we have been getting very positive feedback on this free program that began with 15 students last year,” she said.
Schust said the Long Island Conservatory, which was established in 1992, has been running ESL programs for more than 20 years.
She said that while there is no deadline for registration a person’s chances of being accepted to the program are higher with earlier applications.
Schust said to apply applicants must provide documents to prove low-income eligibility such as tax return forms and be residents of the United States or provide a green card.
Residents of Nassau County from kindergarten to twelfth grade are eligible to apply.
Two-hour classes will be held from Feb. 2, 2015 to June 7, 2015 every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Classes will be divided according to students’ age group, according to a statement.
