Parents are children’s first and most important teachers. By helping parents expand their literacy and language skills, and their knowledge of child development, we are making sure that children have as strong a start in life as possible. Our classes benefit parents and children in all five boroughs.
Free 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.
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.
High School Equivalency
Literacy Partners offers classes to help students earn high school equivalency degrees by passing the Test Assessing Secondary Completion, or TASC (formerly the GED). We offer two levels of instruction to accommodate learners of various backgrounds and prior educational experience. The curriculum covers the reading, writing, math, social studies, and science subjects that appear on the test. We also emphasize the non-cognitive skills and habits of mind associated with success in academics and at work. We help our students prepare for and enroll in college as soon as they have passed the TASC.
Read about one of our recent graduates.
English for Parents
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.
English Conversation Classes
We partner with a variety of community-based organizations across all five boroughs to provide free English conversation classes. We use the Emmy award-winning We Are New York educational video series created by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to discuss everyday scenarios that our students may encounter. These classes provide an opportunity for our students, who are mostly immigrant New Yorkers, to practice English and to learn to work together. By building confidence and developing new conversation skills, these classes have a lasting impact on individuals and their communities.
For more information, contact us at class@literacypartners.org or 646-237-0108.