Queens Borough Hall Launches Adult Education Center
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
A new adult education hub opened at Queens Borough Hall last week, aiming to make it easier for residents across the borough to access free classes, career training and high school equivalency programs.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 26 brought together Donovan Richards, leadership from New York City Public Schools District 79 and adult education students to mark the launch of the centralized registration and resource center.
The new space is designed as a “one-stop” entry point for adults seeking educational opportunities, from English language courses to career training and high school equivalency preparation.
District 79 Superintendent Glenda Esperance said the initiative grew out of a partnership with the borough president’s office to simplify the process for adults trying to return to school.
“So we District 79 is comprised of 10 programs, one of which is adult education,” Esperance said. “Adult education services anyone 21 years and older across New York City. Actually, our oldest student is 86 years of age, and we offer English language learning classes, basic education classes, as well as college and career technical classes.”
Until now, adults in Queens typically had to travel to separate registration sites in Long Island City or Jamaica to enroll. The new location inside Borough Hall places those services in a central civic building that many residents already visit for other resources.
“The goal and the partnership with the Queens borough president was, how do we create something that’s centralized, that’s one-stop shopping for all of Queens,” Esperance said. “Now you don’t have to go out to Long Island City or you don’t have to go out to the Jamaica area. You can now come to Queens Borough Hall and sign up and learn more about the programs that we offer.”
The opening ceremony included a tour of the learning space and remarks from officials, along with appearances by students and principals from the district’s adult education sites. One student attending the event shared a personal milestone, bringing his recently earned diploma and explaining that he is now working toward enrolling in college.
District 79 serves more than 50,000 students each year through alternative education programs across the city, including GED preparation, career and technical education and services for multilingual learners.
Esperance said the new hub is meant to address one of the biggest barriers adult learners face: simply finding information and enrolling.
“I think the biggest hurdle that we were able to start addressing yesterday was just having access,” she said. “For many of our students going to sign up and having a space where they can learn information has been the most challenge for them.”
She recalled one student who arrived in New York from the Philippines only months ago and struggled to navigate the education system online.
“One of the students shared that when he first came over from the Philippines five months ago, it was an overwhelming experience,” Esperance said. “But he was thankful that he did find our program, because within five months he was able to get his GED, and now we’re still supporting him in going on to do college and career.”
The Borough Hall site is also located near the borough’s immigration services office, allowing visitors seeking other assistance to learn about educational opportunities in the same building.
District leaders hope the hub will initially serve at least 100 students between its opening and the spring, though they expect the number to grow as more residents learn about the service.
Esperance said the broader goal is to help adults rebuild educational pathways that may have been interrupted by life circumstances.
“At any given day we’ll have a new student enroll and we’ll have a student graduate,” she said. “What we always tell our students is that a moment doesn’t define your destiny, and whatever happened that led you here, D79 is the best stop to get you back on track and get you where you need to go.”
Over the next several years, district leaders say they hope the Borough Hall hub will expand beyond adult education into a broader information center for District 79’s many programs, including GED services for younger students, technical training, and programs that support parents returning to school.
“Our goal has been and continues to be, how do we identify the gaps and bridge those gaps so those students can leave with a certification or a diploma,” Esperance said.
District 79 leaders say the new location is one step toward making those opportunities more visible and accessible to communities across Queens.
