The city will providing millions of dollars to continue adult literacy education programs across Queens, City Councilman Daniel Dromm announced on Tuesday.
Joined by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Brooklyn City Councilman Carlos Menchaca at the Oct. 23 announcement, Dromm stated that $4 million in total funding would support 47 programs and 3,200 adult literacy classroom seats across the city.
“This multi-million dollar allocation will open doors for thousands of New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” said Dromm, who is on the Council Committee on Education. “These dollars will improve the lives of low-income residents and recent immigrants by putting them on a pathway to better employment, higher education and many other opportunities.”
In Queens, 15 programs will benefit from the sponsorship, according to the City Council.
The biggest benefactors of the program are The Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement and LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens Borough Public Library St. John’s University in Jamaica, the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York in Bayside and Make the Road in Flushing. who will all receive $100,000. Make the Road will also have programs in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
The Korean American Family Service Center in Flushing will get $80,000 and the Haitian Americans United for Progress in Hollis will receive $70,000, according to the Council.
The Greater Ridgewood Youth Council, Asian Americans for Equality in Flushing, Central Queens YM & YWHA in Forest Hills, the Southern Queens Park Association in Jamaica, and the New Immigrant Community Empowerment in Jackson Heights will receive $50,000 in funds.
“NICE works with immigrant workers and job seekers, many of whom are recently-arrived to this country and work in the informal economy, like day laborers and domestic workers,” said Manuel Castro, Executive Director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment. “The need for effective, flexible English courses is significant: to acquire dignified, living-wage jobs and move up in their fields, our members must learn English in a way that prioritizes vocational needs and recognizes their previous educational achievement.”
The Sunnyside Community Services will receive $30,000, and the Women for Afghan Women in Forest Hills will get $10,000 as well.
