Budget & Facilities

Each ESL site will need to work with church leadership to determine the best budget for their context. To help you in these conversations, we've provided some possible budget ideas and costs based on an existing ESL sites. 

Click the button below to open an editable budget planner tool for your ministry. Edit just the green cells to account for estimated number of students, teachers, donations, and misc. expenses to see what your semester budget needs may be.  This sheet resets each time it is opened, so save the file as your own to make a copy as the next time it is opened, the numbers will be erased for others to use. 

Please note that the numbers on the planner tool above and suggested totals below are only an estimate and can vary greatly based on a number of factors for your ministry. 

For an estimated student enrollment of 20 students, the estimated yearly cost (36 weeks of class) is ~$1,500. 

You should plan to budget for: 

Student Textbooks (average $15–$20 per book)

**Each student will need their own book. For copyright laws, teachers can only photocopy one chapter or 10% of a book, whichever is less. 

Teacher Guides or workbooks (average $15–$20 per book) 

Classroom supplies for students (pencils, paper, whiteboards, notecards, nametags, etc.) 

Teacher supplies (markers, erasers, clipboards, photocopies, etc.) 

Hospitality Supplies (coffee, tea, light snacks, paper products) 

Miscellaneous Expenses (childcare costs, gas for transportation, other office supplies not provided by church, etc.) 

Sources of Income: 

We recommend charging a modest $10–$15 fee per student per term.  This helps students to feel ownership of the class and is something most can afford.  You can of course waive this fee for any student who may be unable to afford it. 

We also recommend asking the church for donations, where appropriate. Consider if the ministry can be a part of the church budget or if individuals in the church who cannot serve weekly may wish to support the ministry monetarily. These are conversations for you and your elders. 

Another way to cut costs is to seek donations of goods for hospitality time.  Church members or even local businesses may be interested in supporting such a ministry. You might be able to get baked goods or coffee donated for hospitality time, school supplies from office stores, etc. 

The biggest expense is student textbooks. It is possible to use freely available materials online without violating copyright law although this will create more work for teachers. 

If you are concerned with budget, talk with Refuge so we can help you through these decisions. 

Facilities

Creating space for your ESL class is an important conversation to have. Some questions and areas to discuss with church leadership are suggested below: 

What rooms will be required for the classes? 

 Suggested: A room for testing and registration, as many classrooms as there are proficiency levels of students, a large room for hospitality gathering, a room for childcare (if applicable). 

What supplies of the host church will be used/needed? 

Suggested topics to discuss: Tables and chairs, white boards and/or markers, coffee makers, coffee filters, coffee, paper products, office paper/supplies, photocopier use, nursery supplies for childcare, etc...  

What building access is needed? 

Suggested topics to discuss: how to lock/unlock the building, alarm codes, returning rooms to their original state, clean up process, etc...