Education / Classes

English as Second Language (ESL)

Since 1992, through collaboration and funding by Brookdale Community College, CARC has provided English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction on three different levels: I, II and III. Civics education has also been added to the program. Classes are offered to the community at large, free of charge. In 2012, in order to accommodate the increased demand for this service, the program was extended to include off site classes.   Anyone interested in these services should call CARC or visit the office.

Class Descriptions:

ESL I: In ESL I, students gain an introductory grasp of common English vocabulary and grammatical structures. The class is very interactive, and allows learners to build upon frequently used English expressions and questions in familiar contexts. We engage in lots of paired and group work in classroom situations that mimic relevant real-life experience.

ESL II: The ESL II class is geared towards the specific learning needs and desires of the students. The class focuses on tenses more complex than the present, such as the simple past and future tenses. Throughout the class, students work with partners and in small groups while engaging in speaking and listening activities.

ESL III and Civics: ESL III is the most advanced level of English proficiency for learners, and reinforces increasingly complex grammatical structures. Students have a growing awareness of figurative language (such as idiomatic expressions), and through extensive conversation and group activities these language features are emphasized, as each unit topic is explored in depth. Emphasis is placed on conversation for everyday and academic use, including in the workplace and in settings of higher education. Peer interaction and collaboration are encouraged at all times.

 In Civics, we creatively incorporate English learning along with civics and citizenship concepts within the curriculum. Our text and web-based materials are tailored to student interests and content reinforcement needs. These may include thematic seasonal and current event topics related to our units.

Spanish for English Speaking Professionals Classes

Post-Partum Depression (PPD) Support Group – Post Partum Depression ROSES Workshops: an empirically- validated prevention intervention for postpartum depression. ROSE is an educational class provided during pregnancy that has been shown to reduce cases of postpartum depression by half among low- income women in a series of randomized control trials. We provide the classes in person or online, individually or in groups. 

CARC provides a bi-weekly Post-Partum Depression (PPD) support group beginning every 8 weeks.

       Financial Literacy Workshops