Mercy Learning Center Programs

Intensive Study \ Tutoring Program \ National External Diploma Program

Mercy Learning Center's core programs include two part-time Beginner ESL classes, a one-on-one or group Tutoring Program, a full-time, classroom-based Intensive Study Program, and the National External Diploma Program (NEDP). The Center is open year-round for tutoring, the NEDP, and computer classes. However, the full-time classes follow the ten-month Bridgeport school system calendar, beginning in September and ending in June, so as to reduce conflicts for women with children in the public school system.

INTENSIVE STUDY PROGRAM
If a woman's skills and readiness are appropriate for small group instruction, and her schedule will permit full-time attendance, she is placed in the Intensive Study Program. Students admitted to the Intensive Study Program receive four hours per day of basic instruction, five hours of computer instruction each week, and Enrichment sessions that take place periodically on specialized topics including financial literacy, parenting and family life, gardening, immigration and cultural issues, health and well-being, and employment and college preparation. In addition, the Center offers weekly extracurricular classes throughout the program year, in topics such as sewing, quilting, and exercise.



TUTORING PROGRAM The Tutoring Program offers part-time instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), and General Educational Development (GED) preparation. Trained volunteer tutors meet one-on-one or in small groups twice each week with their student(s) for two hours. Tutored students may also enroll in MLC's computer classes and participate in on-site enrichment and life skills workshops when their schedules permit. Two three-day Beginner ESL classes, which are taught by professional teachers, are also offered through the Tutoring Program. Adult learners who seek to increase their English language proficiency are placed in one of two Beginner ESL classes, which meet three days per week and include two hours of classroom instruction as well as one hour of technology training.		NATIONAL EXTERNAL DIPLOMA PROGRAM (NEDP) In 2008, Mercy Learning Center was approved as a National External Diploma Program (NEDP) site. This alternative to the GED preparation program provides a unique way for adults to earn a high school diploma. Adult learners who demonstrate their high school level skills by applying their life experiences in real-life situations. MLC offers a program wherein students participate in diagnostic and assessment phases, complete 70 specific tasks to prove their proficiency, and earn a high school diploma. MLC's trained advisors and assessors guide students through the process. The NEDP has augmented Mercy Learning Center's existing adult education programs.

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