What our partners are doing now...

April 1, 2020

We recently hosted a Zoom discussion to discuss how county ESOL programs are responding to COVID 19. This meeting was coordinated to gather information on how coalition members are pivoting their processes to continue serving learners and to identify how MCAEL can best support programs as instruction goes online. 

We had some great suggestions and discussion. Many providers are formulating plans and some have transitioned to online teaching. The tools being used vary, for example, the Literacy Council of Montgomery County and the Ethiopian Community Center are using  Google Hangouts  while the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center and Montgomery College are using  Zoom . Here is some of what our partners shared with us:

Ahu Moser, Director, Academic Programming |  Literacy Council of Montgomery County

We currently have all our classes online; between March 16th and March 20th, we did some video recordings. We are using Google Hangouts and we provided both our teachers and students training in how to use Google Hangout. This has been a learning process as our teachers are trying to figure out how to make this online learning more practical, learning new tricks and tips. We are very excited about this and we are all learning as we go through this, but I am happy with our progress.

Roza Beyene, Program Manager | Ethiopian Community Center

We have been having a little bit of tough time since there were no classes and we couldn’t figure out how long these classes would be suspended. But now we have restarted calling our students to see if they would interested in having our classes continued online and most of our students are willing to participate the online class and we choose Google Hangouts for our needs by discussing with the teachers as well as with some of the students who are tech savvy. The challenge that I feel we might face is not every student is tech savvy and not all of them have smart phones so that is going to be our challenge. We have been calling and checking on our students so far and everyone is doing well except for the stress of staying home and not working or going to class so hopeful this will lift their spirit.

Chiao-chiao Liu, Education Director| Chinese Culture and Community Service Center

The last two weeks we have been contacting the students and we found out that the students want to continue learning. I got in touch with my instructors and provided them with some Zoom training to teacher. We are using Zoom for the first time, so this has been a learning experience for me too. We are almost ready and will resume our classes on April 1st. Our classes will be held five days a week; multilevel classes each day. Students who were not able to join us before will be able to join us now since this is online; we are expecting more participants to join then before. We are still learning but everyone is excited.

Emma Wilson,  Adult ESOL & Literacy Program Manager | Montgomery College

ESOL program is continuing instruction; we received support from MC to provide an online platform for our teachers, we are using Zoom. We did our training during spring break and classes resumed online. We are seeing good attendance and seeing different needs from students such as the need for healthcare, childcare, employment, mental health, etc. We are trying to tap into our networks to support our students. It has been a bitter learning experience for the teachers; it has been challenging; we are addressing technical challenges and planning for additional training, but I think that we are at least continuing to engage students and the students are responding well. 

We are thankful for the resilience of our partners and are ready to help where we can to support their work during this critical time.

Picture of WUMCO Help's location in Poolseville, MD.

MCAEL Partner Spotlight: WUMCO Help, Inc

By Kayla Savoy • November 1, 2024
On Friday, October 25th, the MCAEL staff had the privilege of visiting WUMCO Help's facility in Poolesville, MD. What began as a quick journey to distribute our Adult English Language Program Directories turned into an insightful tour of WUMCO’s expansive ESOL classroom, designed for local residents, and their food pantry, where they provide shelf-stable goods and fresh produce to the community. Supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, community members, and local Boy Scout troops, WUMCO is committed to addressing food, language, health, and financial insecurities in Poolesville and the surrounding areas. We are proud to partner with WUMCO Help , which began with MCAEL as a Start-Up Grant recipient in 2023 and then grew to become an Access Small Grant recipient the following year. To learn more about WUMCO and the good work of all of our current Grant Partners, click here.

Leadership Change at MCAEL

By Kathy Stevens • August 29, 2024
Dear MCAEL Community: I am writing to share with you that I will be leaving MCAEL as of early October. I have accepted a position as President and CEO at the Healthcare Initiative Foundation. After 12 years of stewarding and growing the coalition, our team, and the organization’s role in the county, it is time for me to pass the torch to new leadership and pursue some new challenges of my own. MCAEL is a strong organization that has proven the value of having one entity coordinate the work of the coalition to build a diverse network of adult English language learning opportunities. With the partnership of Montgomery County government, dedicated coalition organizations, and incredible supporters and volunteers, MCAEL continues to provide much needed and much desired English classes. With an incredible staff, the organization is well positioned to continue to meet the needs of our community. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served as MCAEL’s Executive Director. It has been rewarding to work alongside such a remarkably talented team, engaged Board members, dedicated program staff and instructors, and committed funders and supporters. While I'll miss MCAEL, the people I've worked with, and most especially the thousands of adult learners we have been able to support, I am excited to see MCAEL continue its growth and leadership in the county. The Board of Directors is meeting to identify the search process and timeline for a successor leader of MCAEL and that information will be shared as soon as practical. I will be working with the staff, board, and coalition to ensure a thoughtful and smooth transition. Thanks to you and the many other people who support MCAEL’s work, I am confident that the organization will continue to be strong and impactful. With gratitude, Kathy Stevens

Uber Impact

By Kathy Stevens • July 30, 2024
I’ve had to use Uber more in the last month than the entire last year while my car was out of commission. As you may know, the app offers you the option to indicate your comfort level with conversation. While I was trying to lean into just relaxing on the car rides and not talking much, I couldn’t help myself and quickly started conversations with my drivers. Many of my drivers were non-native English speakers, and they shared their experiences adjusting to a new country while not being comfortable with the language. Their stories echoed an all-too-common experience among immigrants in our community, who often work at jobs below their training levels. We discussed how to find English classes, should they be interested, and I was even able to connect one of my drivers to a workforce development opportunity.  Sure, it would have been more convenient to have my car in working order so I could drive myself to work. But I never would have made these rewarding connections.
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