About Us

The Community ESL Program is an initiative of the Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC) at Fordham University that began operations in 2018 with financial support from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). Our educational journey started at two locations: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Center in the historic Belmont neighborhood and Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus. However, given the increasing demand for ESOL learners in the Bronx, in 2020, we expanded the program to St. Francis of Assisi Church in mid-town Manhattan thanks to the patronage of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Today, more than 170 learners from Latin America, Africa, and Europe participate in our different classes every academic year. 

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