Organization Details:
The mission of the Riverside Language Program is to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to adults in need in intensive and part-time classes; to provide staff development for teachers in our profession; and to advocate on behalf of our students and our profession.
Description and/or History:
In our intensive ESOL program, we work with documented adult immigrants and refugees from all over the world who have come to the U.S. with permission to remain here up to two years ago. Six-week-long English classes, meeting 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, are free (paid for through government contracts and foundation grants); counseling, a computer lab, a language workshop, etc. are made available to all participants. All paid staff is full-time; teachers have masters' degrees in TESOL.
RLP is now in its 26th year of operation in leased space in the Riverside Church on the upper west side of Manhattan. We serve approximately 600 full-time students living throughout the city in Riverside Church each year and about 3,000 part-time evening/Saturday students in about 24 branches of the New York Public Library in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
Contact people:
| Kristy Stoesz, Workshop Coordinator, (212) 662-3200 x208, (email)
Leslie Robbins, Executive Director, (212) 662-3200 , x.202, (email) Phyllis Berman, Executive Director, (212) 662-3200 , x. 203, (email) |
Office fax number: (212) 870-6841
Address:
| 91 Claremont Avenue (between W. 120 And W. 122 Streets) New York, NY 10027 (See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.riversidelanguage.org
Directions:
| Take the # 2,3 express trains uptown to West 96 Street. Change to the #1,9 local trains uptown to West 116 Street, the Columbia University stop. Walk north (uptown) on Broadway to West 120 Street; turn west (toward Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: W. 116 St. (#1,9 trains), Walk distance (in minutes): 5 minutes Nearest Bus Stop: #104 (Broadway) or #5 (Riverside Dr.) to West 120 St., 2 minute walk |
| Last updated on May 8, 2009 |
Volunteer Reflections Post Your Own!
Overall Experience

I'm passionate about ESL and so are the students
![]()
Riverside Language Program teaches ESL to legal immigrants from all over the world. I loved my "job" and only wish they offered more hours for "language partners".
posted on November 6, 2008
