Our Programs

New Readers

New Readers classes are offered free during the day to students who are just learning to read and write and to beginning readers who may have a learning disability. New Readers classes are limited to eight to ten students. Day classes operate Mondays and Fridays from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.  

Basic Education/Pre-GED

These classes are for adults who have some basic reading and writing skills and wish to improve on those skills in order to enter GED preparation classes. There are three levels of Basic Education/Pre-GED which enable students to receive instruction at the level most appropriate for them.

GED/High School Equivalency

Classes for adults who wish to prepare for the GED Examination are offered on campus and operate during morning, evening and Saturday hours. Free classes are only available weekdays. Tuition-based classes are taught in English and Spanish during the week, day or evening, and all day Saturday. They prepare students to take the GED in either English or Spanish. Instruction focuses on basic math as well as reading, and writing in the context of the subject areas covered by the GED exam: social studies, science, language arts reading and writing. At the completion of each cycle, students who are ready to take the GED examination are referred for testing either at LaGuardia’s GED Testing Center or at another test site in New York City.  

English as a Second Language (ESL)

 English as a Second Language classes help students to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English. Some ESL classes are offered on the college campus while others operate at a public school in Woodside, Queens. ESL classes are offered in the morning, afternoon and evening. Most classes meet three times each week. Classes are offered at four levels: beginning, low intermediate, high intermediate and advanced. These classes are free, but there is a wait of a year or more to get in.

Spanish Literacy

This class is for Spanish speaking adults who have completed less than eight grades of education in their home countries. The purpose of Spanish literacy class is to help students develop literacy in their first language (Spanish) before moving on to the study of English. A Spanish literacy class is offered at the public school in Woodside. These classes operate three evenings each week and are free.