Adult Education

Our office is currently hybrid, and our Adult Education and Literacy classes are being offered both in-person and remote. For more information, call 718-624-3475.

FAC’s Adult Education Unit provides 16 classes annually to over 500 adults from over 24 countries of origin. These students seek to advance their language acquisition, improve their employment prospects, support their children’s education, as well as improve their reading, writing, and math skills. Our goals are to expand students’ employment opportunities, help them gain a high school diploma, and enroll them in job training or postsecondary education. Our education program also encourages our adult students to become active participants in their children’s education by preparing them for Parent-Teacher conferences, helping them research and arrange visits to middle school and high schools during the Department of Education’s application process and providing assistance for PRE-K for ALL! registration.

We help our students find their voice to become active members of their communities, from rallying for a new library in Sunset Park to meeting elected officials to advocate for funds to support adult education. Following Paulo Freire’s Popular Education model, classes are designed to respect participants’ cultural and learning histories and empower them to achieve their goals and improve their community.

The teachers made it easy to adapt. I eventually became friends with math again! My children are so proud of me. My grandchildren are so excited that they can’t wait to throw me a graduation party.

Esther F.

FAC Adult Education Student & Community Activist

English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) participants.

For nearly 20 years, the Adult Education Unit at FAC has provided highly effective, outcome-driven adult education and literacy services for thousands of low-income New Yorkers, opening doors of opportunity for them to better jobs, higher education, and deeper engagement in their communities. FAC’s classes have been consistently recognized as Highly Proficient by the New York State Education Department and have been ranked by the agency in the top quartile of adult education programs across NY State for each of the past 8 years. Additionally, the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) has ranked FAC’s Adult Education as one of the “best programs in the city.”

Serving adults and families with low levels of literacy and English language skills, Adult Education at FAC provides a rigorous and supportive learning environment and classes that include: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), High School Equivalency (HSE), and bridge classes employing Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IEL/CE), Family Literacy Classes, and College Access Support.

Adult Education programming transitioned to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programming is carried out by experienced instructors, and classes are offered in multiple locations in South Brooklyn, including churches, public schools, and community centers to ensure accessibility. Program staff also encourage participants to take advantage of opportunities provided by FAC’s other services, such as sector-based training provided by FAC’s workforce development affiliate, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI); and public benefits screening and enrollment, tax preparation assistance, and legal and financial counseling offered by our Community Services unit.

Program Highlight: Sunset Park Bridge Program

The Sunset Park Bridge Program (aka the New Americans Adult Education and Workforce Development Bridge Program) is a partnership between FAC’s Adult Education unit and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations. If you want to earn your Commercial Driver’s License with Red Hook on the Road or become a BICSI certified level 1 cable installer with Brooklyn Networks, strong English language skills are one key to success. Both of these programs involve industry-specific vocabulary and exams that use English words and phrases you don’t see in a typical ESOL class. For applicants who want to hone their English language skills so they can start a new career, the Sunset Park Bridge Program can help them get started. Then, applicants move on to their career training program.

Students in a Commercial Driver's License class — Sunset Park Bridge Program participants take part in a Commercial Driver’s License prep class.

The Sunset Park Bridge Program serves low-income, non-native English speakers. Applicants don’t have to be citizens, just New York City residents who are eligible to work in the United States. The ideal applicant already has conversational-level English skills but is looking to expand them and learn industry-specific vocabulary before moving on to their career training with either Red Hook on the Road or Brooklyn Networks. Applicants should have a strong interest in working as a commercial driver or a cable technician.

For more information or to apply, call 929-732-1021.