ESOL Program Overview

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program offers functional English language instruction to non-native English speakers.

Students: We serve around 200-300 adult students (18 years old +) each year.  ESOL students are non-native English speakers who come from 20+ countries around the world.

Classes: Students attend class two to four times per week, for a total of 4-8 hours of weekly instruction. Our core classes are held at Lakewood where we offer Literacy-Level, Low Beginning, High Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced English classes 4-8 hours per week. Other class locations include the Durham County Library (Main Library, Southwest and East Regional Branch), El Centro Hispano and the Family Center of Northern Durham. (To see full schedule of ESOL classes: click here.)

Curriculum: The curriculum for the core classes is organized thematically around survival skills such as obtaining employment, participating in education of children, obtaining adequate housing, shopping, learning basic computer skills, and more. Other classes target specific language needs, such as English for food-service workers or English for literacy-level refugees.

Volunteers: Nearly all our instructors are volunteers, who complete 12 hours of training and commit to teaching two hours per week for at least one semester.

Student Registration Information: