The New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced the opening of 10 new adult education enrollment hubs, aimed to help prospective students enroll in programs to further their education and careers, serving all languages.
The DOE offers free programs at over 170 locations across all five boroughs to adults 21 and older to earn high school equivalency degrees (HSE), take English and Spanish language (ESL) classes or pursue career technical learning (CTL) programs. These programs all aim to advance the educational and career opportunities for adults all across NYC, and with the addition of 10 new hubs, organizers hope to streamline the process of application and enrollment.
NYC Department of Education
Spearheaded by Superintendent Robert Zweig of District 79, these enrollment hubs opened Feb. 7, and hopefully will help those interested with accessibility to adult education. Superintendent Zweig had previously worked on the periphery of adult education, but started overseeing the program three years ago.
“I’m kind of the driving force behind these enrollment sites,” said Zweig in an interview with amNew York. “About 14 years ago or so we started this notion of referral centers for our younger students and it was that idea that led me to think about and work with members of our team in creating these enrollment hubs and really the idea behind it is to make access to adult education much clearer and more seamless to adult residents across New York City.”
These hubs serve as the first point of contact for interested students. Providing information regarding class availability and career services so students select the right programs to start their paths in education or for job opportunities.
“Our program is going to be beneficial not just for the ESL students, but also for potential students who want to get their high school equivalency diploma,” said Anne Bernard, principal of Bronx Adult Education Centers to amNew York. “We have students in our program from age 21 all the way up to 81 who are in the process of learning how to speak English and in the process of getting their high school equivalency diploma in Spanish and or transitioning out of our ESL classes [and] going into an English HSE class to get their diplomas in English.”
In addition to HSE or ESL programs, prospective students also have the opportunity to take classes that cater to career interests in subjects such as welding and mechanics, food service, telecommunication and medical assistant. These career-oriented programs are available at every adult education location and aim to help students enter job fields and opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them. These classes are also taught in both English and Spanish.
For students with children or who are guardians of siblings, childcare is also available at many adult education sites. Night and day classes are also options for students in order to make adult education as accessible as possible to help students get on track for better working and educational opportunities. The emphasis on childcare and flexible scheduling is crucial when it comes to making adult education easy and accessible.
“Once we identify the areas that the student needs to study, we can put together a schedule according to their needs and in addition when it comes to childcare we also run the LYFE program (Living for the Young Family through Education), which provides educational childcare for the babies of student parents,” said Stacey Oliger, a colleague of Superintendent Zweig. “We actually serve those students from the ages of six weeks to almost four years old.”
With these 10 new enrollment sites opening, adult educators hope that even more students sign up for classes like high school equivalency and CTE programs for the opportunity to improve their futures as well as their children’s.
“From the child’s perspective, seeing an older sibling or parent take their own education by the helm serves as a model for that student,” said Bernard. “It serves as encouragement and it leads that family into their own personal goals, their own visions of their lives to uplift the family in the direction of where they want to go with their lives.”
Interested students can visit a hub directly, or reach out by calling 646-481-8227 or emailing ADULTEDNYC@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV .
Last updated at 9:12 am 2/8/2022
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