Please consider contributing to help to improve the lives and opportunities of non-English speaking adults in Sussex County.

Your Donation Supports...
        $50 will buy a student's book and supplies
        For parents attending classes, we offer an onsite child education program
        Recently expanded our sites to Milford Public Library and Beebe Hospital

        Recently expanded our online partnership with Lewes Library

Our Story:  In 2003, the congregation at The Lutheran Church of Our Savior (LCOS) became aware of the need for an ESL program to serve the residents of Eastern Sussex County. Throughout the next year, volunteers studied other successful ESL programs, secured necessary funding, and built enthusiasm for this social outreach ministry within the congregation. English classes began in January 2004 at the church and have been running continuously.  

Starting with two teachers, a handful of church volunteers, and 45 students, the program has grown beyond the church and into the community. Today, the program involves over 40 volunteer teachers from throughout Sussex County, working with an average of 150 students a year across four different locations.

Sharpening their English reading, writing, and speaking skills helps adult learners to integrate into local Delaware communities and prepares them for educational and career opportunities, improving the lives of students and their families. Students surveyed at the end of the fall semester reported obtaining new jobs or promotions, enrolling in training and/or college programs, and applying for US citizenship. The language skills these students acquire during their enrollment period make these accomplishments possible and prepare students to help themselves, their families, and their communities. In fact, many students have already obtained advanced degrees and embarked on successful careers in their home countries, and ESL at LCOS can give them the language skills they need to transition to careers and communities in the US.

 

The program’s longevity—two decades and counting—reflects its success in serving families in Sussex County. In 2022, the program welcomed its first third-generation participant, a childcare volunteer giving back to the program that helped her mother and grandmother learn English.

 

Using Cambridge University Press' Ventures curriculum, ESL at LCOS offers five levels of proficiency, from basic to advanced.  Tuition is free, but students contribute $25 toward the cost of their books.  Otherwise, the program is funded entirely by individual donations, generous grants, and business donations.