The Voluntary Improvement Program (VIP) was established in 1966 to teach non-English speaking adults language skills necessary to provide for their families and fully participate in their communities. Through small group instruction provided by community volunteers, adults learn the basic English skills needed for seeking and retaining employment, providing for their basic needs and understanding American society. Students come from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds: over the past year students from Mexico, Central and South America, Tibet, Thailand, Korea and Viet Nam have enrolled in the program.

Classes on Monday/Wednesday nights have a defined beginning and ending, and students in this program engage in a different learning format. One night, they receive English language instruction from one of the master teachers (staff) in a traditional classroom setting, capped at 25 students. On the alternate evening, students meet with volunteers in the same small group setting as the Tuesday/Thursday Program. Students in the Monday/Wednesday program will "finish" this program at the end of the school year. Eighty students are served yearly in this program.

The VIP program focuses on providing services for working families with young children and income below the poverty line. The majority of these families earn less than $15,000 per year, working primarily in construction, light industry and the service sector. In addition to economic barriers, many students have not had ample opportunity for education either here or in their homelands. During the school year, VIP served 265 students and maintained a waiting list of approximately 105 potential students.

On average, adults maintain a 75% attendance rate. Students typically participate in the program for eighteen months or more, significantly longer than the 8 month average of comparable programs. The benefits of the program are tangible: Employers report that students are increasingly valuable to companies as a result of their improving English skills. Long-time students report increases in job opportunities and modest increases in income.

Goals designed to maximize students' learning and assist them in their endeavors to become English-language proficient, contributing members of society include:

• Improving English skills
• Finding and retaining work
• Earning US citizenship
• Increasing the ability to economically provide for their families
• Becoming contributing members in the community

To help students meet these goals, programs and services are offered in a variety of formats and on varying evenings to meet the needs of students.

VIP meets four evenings per week, providing 152 two-hour sessions per year. Students attend classes on either Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday nights. Lessons are planned and classes are taught under the supervision of VIP's professional teaching staff. Of the six professional staff, five have master's degrees in English or Linguistics with an emphasis on Teaching English as a Second Language and all have experience teaching in the classroom. The skills of these teachers are leveraged by the 165 volunteer tutors who deliver direct instruction to highly motivated adult students.

Committed Staff

• 83% of staff have master’s degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language
• All Staff members speak some Spanish, and two are bilingual.

Active Corps of Volunteers

• 165 volunteers provide 20,540 hours of instruction per year
• Volunteers receive training and development to strengthen their skills
• Average tenure of volunteers is 17 months, far beyond the three months asked of them

Encouraging Active Citizens

• Citizenship classes are offered throughout the year
• Financial Literacy opportunities enable students to navigate through the sometimes unfamiliar banking and business world in the US
• Street Law volunteers assist students with legal services