What:

• Improved English to open more work and professional opportunities, broaden education choices and strengthen community connections
• FREE LINC / ESL classes for eligible students
• English Language Classes for Literacy and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 1-7 taught by TESL certified teachers
• Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking for English Language Learners at all CLB levels
• Portfolio-based language assessment (PBLA) where real-world task-based learning determines CLB level progress
• Licensed Child Care and Care for Newcomer Children available
• In-person classes and limited online classes are offered at the locations stated for students CLB literacy to Level 8

Who:

Adults (18+ years) who’s English has been assessed at any Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level and is a Convention Refugee, Refugee Claimant or Permanent Resident, or Landed Immigrant or Canadian Citizen not born in Canada and English is not your first language.

When:

September – June (school year)

• Monday – Thursday at 8:45am–11:45am / Friday at 10:00am–11:45am (mornings)
• Monday – Thursday at 12:30pm–3:00pm / Friday at 12:30pm–2:00pm (afternoons)
• Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30pm–8:30pm (evening)

Summer school for ESL

• To be determined for 2025. Visit stlouis.wcdsb.ca in April for class schedules

Where:

St. Louis—Kitchener Main Campus

• LINC – all CLB levels – day only / ESL evening
• 80 Young Street (behind Kitchener City Hall)

St. Louis—Kitchener St. Mary’s Campus

• ESL – day only
• 77 Young Street (across the street from 80 Young Street)

St. Louis—Kitchener St. Francis Campus

• LINC & ESL – literacy to CLB 7 – day only
• 154 Gatewood Road (corner of Blueridge Road West and Queen’s Boulevard)

Highland Baptist Church—Kitchener

• LINC – literacy to CLB 4 – mornings only
• 135 Highland Road West (near St. Mary’s Hospital)

Online—contact ESL for details

Ask For:

esl.stlouis@wcdsb.ca
(519) 745-1201
ESL—ext. 229
LINC—ext. 400

Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Province of Ontario.

What:

• Federally and Provincially funded Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) and English as a Second Language (ESL) program
• Offer Classes from Foundational (ESL) Literacy to Canadian Language Benchmark 6
• Classes are offered in-person and online

Who:

Learner must be:

• 18+ years or a graduate of secondary school
• must have a first language that is other than English
• must be residing in Canada as a naturalized Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, Convention Refugee or Refugee Claimant, or have arrived through the Live-in Caregiver program or Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel
• must first have a language assessment at Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington

When:

Days of the week and times:

• Mondays at 12:00pm–7:00 pm
• Wednesdays 9:00am–3:00pm

Classes are offered in July and August. Please contact us for days and times.

Where:

Fergus—Skyline Community Hub, Centre Wellington Big Brothers
900 Tower Street South

Ask For:

Narjis Ahmed—Program Manager
narjis.ahmed@ugdsb.on.ca
(519) 836-7280 ext. 624

What:

Programs offered:

• Language Assessment and Referral Services
• Community and School Settlement Services
• Community Connections
• Employment Related: Mentorship and Power of Trades

Who:

Adult Immigrants to Canada (18+ years)

When:

Cambridge

• Monday – Thursday at 8:30am–4:30pm (in person and remote services)
• Friday at 8:30am–12:00pm (remote only)

Kitchener

• Monday – Thursday at 8:30am–4:30pm (in person and remote services)
• Friday at 8:30am–12:00pm (remote only)

Stratford-Perth

• Monday – Thursday at 8:30am–4:30pm (in person and remote services)
• Friday at 8:30am–12:00pm (remote only)

Where:

Cambridge—250 Hespeler Road

Kitchener—800 King Street West, 3rd floor

Stratford-Perth—204 Downie Street

Ask For:

Cambridge and Stratford-Perth
Marian Rozman and/or Lisset Jacinto—Immigrant Services Lead
(519) 621-1621
newcomers@ytr.ymca.ca

Kitchener and Waterloo
Sunanda Sachdev—Immigrant Services Lead
intake@ytr.ymca.ca
(519) 579-9622 ext. 6125