Parent Talk & First Steps in English

English Now! is pleased to offer two informal educational and fun classes for parents of young children; Parent Talk with parents as the students, together with their babies and toddlers; and First Steps in English where the older children are the students, accompanied by their parents.

Parent Talk is our informal conversation group for parents of children who would like to bring their children, infants to toddlers (ages three months to three years) to class with them. Parent Talk meets weekly year-round. The group is led by a teacher who is experienced both in early childhood education and the teaching of English as a Second Language.

In this conversation group, parents will learn to better understand informal spoken English and will increase their knowledge of English vocabulary, especially as it relates to parenting topics. Parent Talk helps students gain knowledge of the culture of parenting in the U.S. and improves their English conversational skills as they talk with each other and the teacher about parenting topics such as feeding, sleeping, playing and self-care.

Parent Talk encourages parents of very young children to become more confident about engaging in English language conversations and offers an international perspective on parenting. The instructor teaches authentic and informal language that is often used in conversations between parents. Each week, parents receive a handout with vocabulary and discussion topics for each class, as well as copies of articles as reading homework for the next week’s parenting-related topic.

Parent Talk registration information: Classes meet Wednesdays from 10:30 until 11:30am, U.S. Eastern time. Additional classes may also be offered—ask us about the schedule for the next term. Parent Talk is offered in three terms each year, September-January, February-May, and June-August. Tuition for Parent Talk is $10/session for the term, and there is a one-time, $40 registration fee for new students. Email us with questions or to register.

First Steps in English has been especially created for children who are three or five years old (pre-school or pre-kindergarten age) whose parents would like them to learn or improve their beginning English language skills. (This is particularly important during the current global health pandemic where many children in this age group cannot attend pre-school or pre-kindergarten classes in person.)

The instructor focuses attention and instruction in First Steps in English on and for the children. However, parents are welcome to accompany their child or children for part or all of the lesson – online for now (and in person when that is possible) and to take part in the learning process.

First Steps in English meets two times a week on weekday mornings from September to June. The class will be led by a teacher who is experienced in both early childhood education and the teaching of English as a Second Language.

Each class in First Steps in English will be thirty minutes in length and will be designed to capture the attention of these early learners. Through a mix of colorful images, the children will listen to stories, learn vocabulary and sing songs. In the first half of each class, the children will be introduced to vocabulary words about colors, shapes and toys and other childhood objects. In the second half of class, the focus will be on learning the English alphabet, phonetics, numbers and songs related to the childhood experience. Parents are welcome to listen, learn and sing along with their children. 

Each week, parents of children in First Steps in English will receive information from their child’s teacher about the learning materials to be covered in the next class. As part of each class, the teacher will guide the parent in helping their child with “mini-homework” assignments to reinforce what they have learned in class.

First Steps in English registration information: Classes meet twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 until 10:00am, U.S. Eastern time. First Steps in English is offered in three terms each year, September-January, February-May, and June-August. Tuition for First Steps in English is $20/week for the term, and there is a one-time, $40 registration fee for new students. Email us with questions or to register.

Parents – both Moms and Dads – are encouraged to join one or both of these classes – Parent Talk or First Steps in English – to become familiar with the language and culture of parenting in the United States and to assist their children in taking their first steps in the process of learning the English language of childhood. 

Please contact us if you have questions about these classes or would like to learn more about how to enroll in these special English Now! programs.  You can contact us by email or phone or via WhatsApp.

We look forward to meeting you and your children!