English Classes for Parents

We partner with early-childhood education programs across New York City to offer parents of young children free intensive classes leading to a high school equivalency degree (formerly known as the GED) or to greater English language proficiency.

Our English classes help students acquire speaking, listening, reading, writing, and grammar skills. Parents develop the confidence and the competence to use English to navigate the world around them, including subways, banks, and the health care system. At the same time, we emphasize child-development topics and incorporate parenting strategies into the curriculum.

Literacy Partners prioritizes parent education because research shows that parents who can read and write well are best equipped to guide their children’s healthy intellectual development. Boosting parent educational attainment is key to closing the achievement gap among low-income and immigrant children, which starts when young children grow up in homes without books or parental involvement in their education. Keeping all children on track from the earliest ages is a powerful strategy to break the cycle of poverty. Read about one of our students.

For more information, contact class@literacypartners.org or 646-237-0108.