Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Program (IRRP)
Welcoming New Neighbors
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
Learning to speak English is one of the most important “orientation” tasks facing any refugee adult or child. The programs available are either focused on the adult learner, or are for children and coordinated through the public school system.
ESOL for adults
All new arrivals are referred to the appropriate ESOL class in their area.There are many other ESOL providers in the communities where
refugees resettle. Caseworkers refer refugees to the class that best meets their needs. This depends on the skill level, location and time of day classes are offered. IRRP offers its own classes in beginning ESOL and ESOL literacy.
Beginning ESOL and ESOL literacy classes are currently being offered in Concord at the First Congregational Church and Laconia Congregational Church. The curriculum focuses on helping students to reach early self-sufficiency by incorporating community and societal orientation with emphasis on situations related to the refugees' lives and needs. Classes also assist refugees in learning cross-cultural perspectives in parenting and family life. In the spring and fall of 2006, IRRP staff from the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension introduced a curriculum on family life, designed specifically for refugees and immigrants.
Additional information about ESOL classes for adults, and the community-specific resources that provide them, can be accessed through the NH Council on Literacy .
ESOL for children
More than 3,000 limited English proficient students attend public and private New Hampshire schools and speak more than 140 languages.” The New Hampshire Department of Education ESOL Program assists schools
in providing the best possible education for these children. The ESOL Program is funded through the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) at the US Department of Education under the legislative authority of Title III, No Child Left Behind.
Check New Hampshire Department of Education for more information about children and ESOL.
IRRP HOME
Interfaith Refugee Resettlement
261 Sheep Davis Rd., A-1
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 224-8111 fx. 224-5473
amarchildon@lssne.org
