Adult Literacy Department

"Privacy, respect, and an opportunity to succeed!"

 The mission of Literacy  Volunteers of the Plainfield  Public Library is to develop  the literacy skills of adults with  minimum reading skills. Since  1992 we have served over  4,000 Plainfield adults,  providing instruction in Basic  English, Basic Math, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) and Conversational English.

Life Skills programs are also offered to help those having problems with everyday coping skills, such as employability, job preparedness, consumerism, social skills, and civic/citizenship preparation. Our program is free to all adults, and our training is free for tutor volunteers.

Our Programs Include:

ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages. Registration on Mondays and Thursdays.

Basic English - Improve your reading and writing skills. You can take lessons in the day or evening. Call Dawn: 908-757-1111 ext. 122.

GED Preparation Course - Free GED test preparation classes. This is a 10-week program and classes are in the evening Monday - Thursday from 7pm to 8:30 pm. Come to one or more evenings each week. Advance registration required. For more information, call Dawn: 908-757-1111 ext. 122.

U.S. Citizenship Preparation - Conducted by Steve Kilduff, this class would prepare students for their upcoming interview and citizenship test. Classes are held on Mondays.

Basic Math - Improve your math skills one-on-one at small group lessons. You can take lessons in the day or evening. Call Dawn: 908-757-1111 ext. 122.

Laptop Classes - Conducted by Narvis Bent, this class is offered to students of our different programs. Students must bring their own laptops. Classes are held on Thursdays and are for beginners only.

Computer Classes in Spanish - are offered when there is sufficient interest. Contact the office for more information.

Who Are Our Students?

Our students are men and women, most of whom work and have families. Many are U.S. citizens who attended local schools. Others have come to our country to achieve the American dream. Our clients have come from: Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Senegal, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Uruguay. Some of our ESOL students have higher-level education and degrees from their homeland but lack the English skills necessary to obtain a position in their area of academic training.

What Have Our Students Accomplished?

Ours is a student-centered program: adult students determine their long-term goals, which are translated to literacy goals that can be attained over time. Most who continue in our program achieve their long-term goals as well as more immediate goals, which they decide upon along the way. One adult student felt confident enough to move out on her own and begin a new life.

Some common accomplishments include:

* Obtaining a New Jersey Drivers license

* Obtaining US citizenship

* Improved written and verbal communication skills

Who Teaches Our Students?

Our adult students are taught by Tutor Volunteers.  These are men and women of all ages, backgrounds and academic levels, who receive training from certified master trainers. Literacy Volunteers of the Plainfield Public Library provides this training and materials at no charge.

Our tutors come to us with a strong desire to make a difference in someone else's life, and make long-term commitments to our program. To teach ESOL, it is not necessary to be able to speak another language.

You will learn the skills necessary to become a proficient tutor as part of our free tutor training workshops. Trained and certified literacy tutors are always needed.

In 2008 the Plainfield program 298 adult learners were helped by over 100 volunteer tutors, but 158 prospective learners remain on our waiting list, hoping to be matched with a tutor. To become a volunteer please Contact Susan at 908-755-7998 or email literacy@plfdpl.info.

GED Test Prep Program
starts January 18th, 2010
Click HERE for details

Citizenship Classes
Start Mid-January
Click HERE for details

New Jersey Literacy Student
of theYear!

Congratulations to Narvis Bent for being recognized with the Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey's 2009 Award for Student Excellence. He received the award at the LVNJ Annual Conference on April 25, 2009.

Narvis was born and educated in Colombia, earning a university degree in computer science. Although he has been in the Plainfield Public Library's Literacy Program for only two years, he has made impressive achievements in learning English. In addition to his perseverance in attending classes, he has been an active participant in the Los Amigos Club.

Narvis has demonstrated his willingness to help others by teaching a weekly computer laptop class. Starting in May he will also start teaching a weekly bilingual computer class at our library.

We congratulate Narvis and his tutors, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Clifford, for sharing so much of their lives with others in the community.

Profile: Stella Segura:

Stella's story is remarkable. Although she is still a student, she is also the Plainfield Literacy program's ESOL Coordinator.

Stella, a resident of Dunellen, was visiting the library when she was informed about the free tutoring services offered by the Literacy Volunteers of the Plainfield Public Library. A native of Colombia, Stella was extremely interested in improving her limited English and signed on to take the free English classes.

In two years she accomplished her goal and now makes other Spanish-speaking students feel welcome. "I can identify with them because I was once in the same situation," says Stella. "My tutor not only taught me English, but she made me feel welcome and encouraged me to achieve my goal," said Stella.

Stella was described by her tutor as a "bright and fast learner who worked hard to improve her writing and speaking skills." She added that Stella felt very insecure with her English when she started, but she was determined, self-motivated and did very well.

Stella feels that "everyone" should be able to read and write. "Immigrants and their families should be encouraged to learn English so they can communicate with the majority of those in the community."

"Stella is a great example to new tutors of the importance of their volunteer work," said Joseph Hugh Da Rold, Director of the Plainfield Public Library. "We are delighted to have her on our staff," he added.

Contact Us

If you would like to host a workshop or if you are an organization interested in learning more about Literacy Volunteers of the Plainfield Public Library, we are available to make a presentation or meet with you at a time convenient for you. Please contact the ESOL Coordinator at 908-757-1111, ext. 121.