Responding to an influx non-English speaking residents into the Mid-Hudson Valley in recent years, the Millbrook-based Dyson Foundation has responded with a $735,000 grant to five area English as a Second Language programs.
“Given the changing demographics of the Mid-Hudson Valley, and given the barriers that non –English speakers face, the Dyson Foundation felt it was important to support English language acquisition as a way of removing some of those barriers,” said Michell Speight, director of programs at the Dyson Foundation.
“We are very pleased to be awarding multi-year grants to these five organizations to help expand and enhance the availability of ESL programs in our region,” he added.
The programs receiving grant money include:
• The Beacon Community Center, $195,000.
• The Language Immersion Program at SUNY New Paltz, $225,000.
• The Hudson Area Association Library, $180,000.
• The Poughkeepsie-based Center of the Square, which utilizes cooking as a technique to impart language skills. $105,000.
• The First Presbyterian Church of Millerton, $30,000.
Michelle Rhone-Collins, executive director of the Beacon Community Center, said her organization currently provides the bulk of its services for senior citizens and after-school programs for children and teenagers. She said that the grant money would allow the organization to expand its services to adults.
“This will allow us to extend our services to some of our adult population that needs assistance in becoming more acculturated and to help their children as they go through school,” she said.
Rhone-Collins said the center already provides homework assistance to about 76 children at two sites in Beacon. The 10-week adult ESL classes will include beginning and advanced sections. Childcare will be provided with enrichment programs for children.
“We were seeing it through the children that the parents had a hard time communicating and couldn’t help them at home. There was an ESL program a couple of years ago that had to shut its doors,” she said.
The ESL program at the First Presbyterian Church of Millerton started in November 2005 and primarily serves Hispanic immigrants in Millerton and surrounding communities. The program currently has 52 active participants.
“We offer three classes per week, with childcare for two evening classes. We run the program year-round, continuously, and the only time we take off is for Christmas and Easter,” said program director Linda Kaplan of First Presbyterian.
The program not only teaches language skills, but directs people to social services, as well as educational opportunities for their children. The church also has a small store, which provides clothing and household items free of charge.
The immigrants in the program come from a wide range of countries, including Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Columbia, Ecuador and El Salvador. Most work agricultural-based jobs, including horse farms, dairy farms and landscaping. The money from the grant will go toward providing transportation for the attendees, many of whom are isolated in rural areas.
According to Kaplan, a major part of the success of the program is the bilingual Hispanic background of instructor Patricia Stevens.
“It makes them feel comfortable speaking in a big group, where everyone participates. We see a big difference,” said Kaplan.
The largest grant was awarded to the SUNY New Paltz SPEAK program (Speaking Proficiently in English for Adults and Kids). The program will be offered at no cost as part of the school’s Language Immersion Institute.
According to Language Immersion Coordinator Aileen Hanel, the program will take place once a month on campus, with 390 individuals and families immersing themselves in 15 hours of life skills-based curriculum.
“We’ll be teaching them the language skills necessary to go shopping and seek medical assistance,” said Hanel.
The grant will cover daycare services for children ages 2-5, as well as transportation. Participants will engage in one of six different of English immersion.
“Ideally, participants will take up to three weekends to study. We’ve recognized the need for a long time, but it just hasn’t been feasible until now,” she said.