English for Successful Living launched with its first classes in January 2003 as a service primarily to the Sandy Springs Latin American immigrant community. Our objective is to provide an opportunity for immigrant adults to learn English to help them live a more fulfilling life in the United States and enable them to participate in and contribute more fully to every aspect of American society. By helping our students learn English, we hope to facilitate their job and economic advancement; improve their ability to participate fully in societal opportunities; increase their understanding of American systems and culture; and generally smooth the progress of their adaptation to life in the United States .

The need for English classes is significant. A recent survey indicated that Latin American immigrants cite English classes as their single greatest need – above legal services, help getting a driver's license, medical care, or job fairs. Low-cost, high-quality English classes in the Sandy Springs area are in short supply, yet the Hispanic population in Atlanta is growing at an amazing rate: over 300% in the last ten years. Because Hispanic full-time workers continue to be more likely than any other group to be considered “working poor,” it is critical that these families have access to classes that are convenient to work schedules and affordable.  English for Successful Living addresses these concerns and has built a English language program that suits the needs of these immigrants who seek to make a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities here in Atlanta.

Teaching: All classes are taught completely in English using the immersion methodology. The classes are taught by trained volunteers and use well-respected textbooks. Teachers are given lesson plans and Teacher's Edition textbooks, and teach at least one class for ninety minutes per week. The teachers are required to take two training seminars and to remain current on program communication. Teacher training includes a traditional didactic seminar and an introduction to the student, which includes student learning barriers and methods to overcome them. Since the classes are given in English using the immersion technique, the teachers also undergo a similar classroom experience in another language to appreciate fully the student's experience.

Classes and Curriculum: We offer classes two evenings a week and on Saturday mornings for both student and teacher convenience. Students receive a total of three hours of instruction weekly. We offer several levels of instruction, from the absolute beginner level to advanced. Students are given a placement test at registration to put them into the proper level.

Calendar: Our calendar operates on a semester-type system; each session is 12 weeks. Classes are offered year-round. 

Childcare: Offering free childcare is an integral part of the program. Immigrant families from Latin America are typically young with young children, and most of our students cannot afford to hire a babysitter and often do not have anyone with whom they can leave their children while they take an English class. Providing free childcare greatly increases the number of students who are able to attend. Currently we have paid childcare workers to ensure a high-quality, reliable, and safe service.

Volunteers: Our program is staffed by hundreds of volunteers (including about 100 volunteer teachers each session), several paid childcare workers, one paid Executive Director, and a program administrator. In addition to Teaching, our volunteers assist at Registration, Tutoring, Administration, Testing, and Publicity.

Publicity: We have received excellent support from both the English- and Spanish- language media. We have been featured in the Northside Neighbor,Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Latino/Nuestro Semanario, Mundo Hispánico, Atlanta Latino, miatlanta.com, and La Voz del Pueblo . We have also been supported in broadcast media by the local affiliate of the national Spanish-language network Univision, and Radio Fiesta Mexicana . Local Latin American consulates, area hospitals, and community organizations have supported our program by distributing information, and numerous retail establishments and employers in the community have distributed our brochures to employees and customers.

Evaluations: Student progress is appraised throughout the course via level-specific student evaluations. Students also have the opportunity to provide feedback on teaching and administration through Course Evaluations (administered in Spanish and Portuguese for easier communication). Teachers also provide formal and informal feedback on the program to help improve classes and course curriculum.

Graduation: At the end of each session, we have a graduation ceremony and party, where students who have attended a stated percentage of classes receive Certificates of Participation. Students who graduate from their level receive Certificates of Course Completion. There is a graduation cake and shared food and drinks, as well as music and often dancing. This is an excellent way for the students to celebrate their progress and for the volunteers to be recognized for their contributions.

Funding: We are a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization governed by an independent Board of Directors. Holy Innocents’ generously donates classroom and office space to us, and we are honored to have many Holy Innocents community members as volunteers. We are an independent non-profit and rely on your support for funding. Thank you for your contribution to help keep our program serving the community.

Results: We have enrolled over 3000 students from more than 60 countries since our inception. This is a remarkable enrollment rate for any English Language Program, and this makes us one of the largest volunteer ESL programs in Georgia. We expect our growth rate to continue as the program becomes more established. We are very pleased that students report high satisfaction and learning rates with the classes and are encouraging friends and relatives to enroll. Our student graduation rates (60-70%) are significantly higher than the national average (20%), and we expect that this trend will continue or even improve as our program matures.

We also continue to recruit interested volunteers. We have received numerous calls from persons interested in teaching and we plan to add additional classes with these new teachers to keep up with student demand and to keep the student-teacher ratio low. Volunteers have also expressed interest in other program areas, assuring continued success for administrative and supportive facets of the program. Although English for Successful Living is a young organization, program, we are extremely proud of its successful launch and early results. We look forward to continuing classes and to program growth.