History
The Riverside Language Program was started by Phyllis Berman, Leslie Robbins and other teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in 1979. We were committed to creating a model program that served the needs of the prospective students first and foremost. The school's site, on West 120th Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan, was deliberately chosen so that the school would not be in a neighborhood associated with only one ethnic group. Our classes reflect an international community bound in their quest to master the English language, and we aim to achieve a balance of language groups in our school. Over the years, we have served over 28,000 new-comers to New York City, and our alumni have gone on to become active participants in every aspect of American society.
Specialties
We provide free, 25 hour a week intensive English classes to documented, newly arrived immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. We also provide internships and teacher training for TESOL instructors.