Facilities & Resources
All of our students can use these resources:
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Lending library with more than 1,000 books, dictionaries, and other resources (see staff for a tour and to learn how to check out books)
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Assistance with job searches, resume preparation, and other real world goals
Our programs are designed for adults who want to:
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Improve their basic reading and writing skills
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Improve their English language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing)
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Prepare for the GED® or other High School Equivalency tests
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Develop computer, health, civic, or financial literacy skills
We also serve teens and young adults (ages 16 to 24) who have left school prior to graduating to help them prepare for high school equivalency tests and learn about college and career pathways.
Requirements
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all programs are currently remote. To enroll in our programs, prospective students must be able to:
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Communicate orally with program staff and tutors.
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Commit to attending classes regularly and promptly.
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Demonstrate an interest in and positive attitude toward their education.
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Complete the required registration process.
Student Registration Process
1. If you are interested in ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages), you can sign up for more information here. For Adult Literacy or the Youth Achievement Programs, call us at 919-489-8383 extension 23. Leave a message with the following information:
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Your name
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Your phone number (and whether we can leave messages at this number)
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Your age (or the age of the prospective student for whom you are calling)
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The last grade that you completed in school
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Why you would like to become a student with us
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Your opinion on how well you read
If you reach our voice mail, please leave as much of this information as possible so that we can call you back. (We cannot return your call if you do not leave a message with your name and phone number. We cannot receive or send text messages.)
2. Program staff will give you the dates of the next orientation or registration session.
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Adult Literacy: Due to COVID-19, the Adult Literacy Program has limited availability. We will add names to our wait list and will contact them when we have dates for our next orientation series. We will continue to serve students and tutors who are already enrolled and able to work remotely (via phone, videoconferencing, and/or snail mail).
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ESOL: Update July 2023: Our ESOL program is currently enrolling new students for the Fall 2023 semester. Class for the Fall will be a mix of in-person and online using Zoom video-conferencing (depending on the level). Students in online classes must have access to a computer, tablet, or other internet connected device with a camera and microphone as well as home internet service. Click here to learn more.
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Youth Achievement Program: To enroll, prospective students take placement tests by individual appointments. Students are accepted on a rolling basis. If the program is full, students are admitted from the waiting list in order when seats become available. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all placement testing, appointments, tutoring, and instruction are online, so all students must have access to a computer with a keyboard and camera, as well as home internet service. Click here to learn more.
If your phone number changes before your orientation or registration session, please call us to give us your new contact information so that we can call to remind you about the session.
3. You will attend one or more orientation or registration sessions. In general, the sessions will include placement testing, an overview of the services we provide, and an interview that will help us to identify your goals and determine the best placement for you.
If we decide that you are a good fit for one of our programs, we will assign you to a small group class or match you with a tutor as soon as possible. In some cases, we are able to match students with a tutor or class within a month of registration. In other cases, it might take months to find a tutor with the skills and availability you require. We will do our best to keep you informed and get you started as soon as possible.
If we determine that we do not have a program that will meet your needs, we will do our best to information and referrals to other local programs.
To learn more about program-specific eligibility requirements, please see our program pages:
4. You will attend your first lesson or class. Program staff will introduce you to your tutor and tell you how to join your first remote lesson.
Community Resources
If you need information about child care, health care, legal services, transportation, or other resources, call this number: 2-1-1.
You can also click on this link to go to the NC 2-1-1 website, which contains information about many services in the Durham area.