Since 1988 ILI has been providing free English classes for area immigrants and refugees. Offering four levels of English from beginner to intermediate, students study six hours per week. This is often supplemented with volunteer tutors and computer based programs in our computer lab. Sixty-five percent of the running costs are covered by the MA Department of Education with the rest coming from our tuition based programs as well as donations from generous community members.

ILI is proud to announce that it's Free English Evening Program is above the state average for: student attendance, assessment, learner gain and student completion. All this is due to the excellence and dedication of ILI's teachers and staff.

Spotlight on ILI's Free Programs

Come Learn What We're All About!

ILI Hosts monthly informational sessions the third Wednesday of each month highlighting the Free English and Volunteer Tutor programs. Participants in the one-hour Spotlight meet students and staff, tour the school and learn about our school and mission.

Please join us in this effort to create a network of friends who can help grow and strengthen our ties to the surrounding community.

Next Date:

• Wednesday, TBA
• 5:30-6:30PM
• RSVP to Amy Ben-Ezra

Giving Voice YouTube

 

Audio Portrait: Alpha 'Bisko' Kaba  

Audio Portrait: Meleny Mendoza

 

2011 Program Dates:

• Jan. 3 - March 23 (12 weeks)
• April 4 - June 22 (12 weeks)
• July 6 - August 10 (6 weeks)
• September 10 - December 14 (14 weeks)

Holidays (no class):

• Jan. 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Feb. 21 President's Day
• Spring break: March 28 - April 1
• April: 18: Patriots Day
• May 30: Memorial Day

Who are ILI's students?

They are adult immigrant and refugee community members whose careers include work in the service industry, factories, hospitals, the computer industry, and personally owned businesses.

Where are they from? Brazil 6 Ecuador 6 Cape Verde 6 El Salvador 4 Cambodia 4 Mexico 4 Puerto Rico 4 Morocco 2 Poland 1 Guinea 1 Philippines 1 Vietnam 1 Peru 1 Thailand 1 Kazakhstan 1 Uzbekistan 1 Dominican Rep. 1 Portugal 1 Nicaragua 1 Korea 1

Where do they live? Northampton 16 Amherst 13 South Deerfield/Turners Falls 7 Hadley 5 Easthampton 4 Chicopee 2 South Hadley 1 Agawam 1 Whately 1 Where do they work? 88 % have jobs: Restaurant/fast food 39% Hotel/cleaning 18% Factory 8% Farm 8% Construction/painting 8% Other 18% Unemployed 7 % Children: 66% have children, an average of 2. Most live here in the US, while 20% remain in their countries of origin.

If you would like a tutor, please download and fill out a student application.

For more information about this Program, please contact the Program Coordinator, Macey Faiella, by phone at 586-7569 (x117) or by e-mail at: macey@ili.edu