Citizenship and Instruction Program
Experience and Community Need
BronxWorks, is a settlement house and multi-service organization with proven track record of leading immigration services since 1998. That year we first collaborated with SEEDCO to launch a series of initiatives that target low-income immigrants with limited English language proficiency. Our organization leveraged resources to provide English as a Second Language (ESL) services and civics classes from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) to more than 250 participants in 2015 and over 600 participants since its inception. For over 18 years, we have provided citizenship and ESL instruction to New Americans from several countries, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and African countries.
In 2015 alone, of the New American population we served 210 participants in our Citizenship and ESL Instruction program were below 200% the Federal poverty level. Aggregate demographic reports show most Citizenship and ESL immigrant participants come from Central America, especially Honduras and Mexico; the Caribbean, with an emphasis on the Dominican Republic; West Africa; and South Asia. To accommodate the varying backgrounds and education levels of participants we provide free instruction courses ranging from beginning to intermediate levels.
Our experience in working with immigrants of varying backgrounds indicates that their desire to master the English language is highly desirable. The need for citizenship and ESL instruction are growing at a high rate as shown through waiting lists for our programs. Annually, we receive over 380 applications for ESL classes at all levels. Funds are needed to maintain, build and create programs that reflect community needs. Learning English has positive affects for Bronx residents as they will be better prepared to find jobs, perform well in school, and achieve success. In all aspects of our work with immigrants, BronxWorks strives to provide services that are comprehensive, holistic, integrated, and client focused. Although there are a few citizenship and ESL instruction courses in the Bronx, New York, BronxWorks has and continues to be a leading provider in the area encompassed of unique services for this population.
Program Expansion and Enhancement
Citizenship and ESL courses are a much needed service in the Bronx, New York for individuals with low-income and education levels. Currently, there is a six month wait list for students wishing to improve their English language skill-set to obtain jobs and aid in the ability to further their education. The proposed grant-funded program will expand and enhance the quality of existing citizenship instruction services through the acquisition a part-time instructor will lower student to instructor ratio.
Currently, the ESL team consists of two full-time and one part-time instructor. However, only two and a half employees can provide services to approximately 100 participants per day at two different sites. With the grant awarded from the proposal, the addition of a part time instructor will be possible. This will enable BronxWorks to reduce the size of classes offered and deliver our instruction to individuals with higher efficiency. The addition of a program assistant will provide the instructional team a great relief in outreach events, recruitment procedures, data keeping, and participant retention. Offering these programs
will aid immigrants in improving their English language so that they can be engaged in an American life and obtain employment.
Of the 250 participants who benefited from our program in the year of 2015, about 20-25 percent came to us to improve their proficiency so that they could better help their family, children, and themselves; 50-60 percent learned English with us in the hope that they could find better jobs; 20-25 wished to remove their language barrier through our assistance.
With the funding from the proposed grant, we plan to enroll 100-110 students in 2016 and additional 100-120 students in 2017. Students will receive a minimum of 40 hours of citizenship instruction over an 8-15 week class cycle for students at or below the NRS high intermediate level.
Program Administration
Bronxworks has a comprehensive outreach plan to raise awareness of services and register legal residents seeking Citizenship Instruction and ESL classes. Our organization will use several outreach approaches to engage program participants who meet the eligibility criteria as described in the RFP. Our experience has taught us that the most effective form of outreach is to have compassionate, sensitive staff who are ethical, knowledgable of applicable laws, and possess the skills to help immigrants in need of instruction services.
Our website is a great medium to raise awareness of the program as it is annually viewed by 125,000 distinct individuals and provides current information relatable to our demographic. The website is also used to promote a variety of BronxWorks events and information sessions that can be translated into a variety of languages. In addition, BronxWorks has several thousand followers on social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. BronxWorks has relationships with the producers of a number of programs on BronxNet television and the desk assignment editors for Telemundo and Univision, two networks that cater to the Latino population of New York City, including those who reside in the Bronx County. We will leverage our established connections to engage the legal immigrant population and maintain an increasing number of enrollees.
Our internal network has spread across parts of three Congressional Districts and has offices that serve over 500,000 residents, over 150,000 of whom are New Americans. The internal network called Check Notes allows the organization to share information on programs through a referral system.
Our intake procedure starts with orientation, potential clients are asked to complete a questionnaire to gauge their motivation and availability to complete the Citizenship and ESL Instruction course. For attendees who are motivated and want to attend the instruction course, they are then given further information and a registration packet which is completed with a specialist during the orientation session. Here participants will have a chance to learn about the ESL and proposed Citizenship class program at BronxWorks. Participants will gain information on the course levels offered, curriculum, and requirements for admission into the program, such as what documentation, ID, and/or Proof of Address are required. To ensure that all participants are legal permanent residents, documentation of residents are carefully reviewed for accuracy, validity, and to ensure all necessary documents are collected. The program staff or volunteer will then set appointments for potential clients who meet the criteria to take a Best Plus Assessment Test. This will gauge the proficiency of the client’s English language and determine the level of course the client will take.
Over the years, BronxWorks has formulated a retention strategy plan that is used to keep participants in the programs for at least a quarter, or longer. Notably, Initial Screenings, Individual Service Plans, Tracking Student Performance, Referrals and Tutoring are at the top of the retention strategies list. The ESL staff will ask participants to commit for at least a full quarter (i.e. 10 weeks). Once enrolled, the ESL Coordinator will meet with ESL participants to develop an individual service plan that will take into account the learner’s strengths, areas of improvement, and strategies to improve ‘problem areas.’
In addition to initial screening and assessment, instructors will keep track of participants’ attendance, performance and progress through our tracking system. Instructors will have the ability to keep track on the participation, performance, and achievement of each learner. In addition to a variety of services, students will also have access to one on one tutoring.
BronxWorks currently provides ESL services via contracts from the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) and New American Office of New York State. Our organization has met or exceeded the performance targets delineated in the contracts. Childcare for many Bronx residents is an issue as the cost may be a burden. BronxWorks is fully setup for free childcare services through our Early Learning Program in which the Citizenship program will be co-located. The location arrangement for both programs will allow residents to have an opportunity to attend classes without barriers. The McLaughlin Center will house both the Citizenship and Early Learning Program and offers an extremely convenient location that is highly accessible via public transportation. Clients who are wheelchair bound or have a handicap will be able to access services at the site with little complication as the McLaughlin Center is an (ADA) approved site.
Curriculum
Our goal is to assist our participants to pass the USCIS citizenship tests and interviews with ease in addition to an improvement on their English proficiency.
Our ESL instructor will develop a curriculum with a systematic approach for each participant level prior to the start of each ESL class. This includes helping participants build a foundation for their English language skills while progressing from one level to another.
The ESL coordinator and instructor will design a master curriculum for the program, which will serve as a guide to best practices describing specific procedures of implementation, containing selection of course materials, sequence of material presentation, distribution of instructional hours on each learning topic, teaching methodologies, supplementary materials, and lesson plans. Efforts will be aligned with the New York State Common Core Standards.
The ESL team of BronxWorks has established an effective approach to assess the proficiency of our participants, which includes pretesting, periodical tests and quizzes, and post-testing. Best Plus, a fully-developed proficiency assessment scale by Center of Applied Linguistics (CAL) for listening and speaking competencies, will be administered to the participants initially screened. A written pre-test will be administered to the same participants so that their English proficiency in all four aspects, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, is assessed.
The participants will be assigned to classes based upon the levels of their Best Plus scores and written test scores. Twice every month, the ESL instructor will administer periodical tests and quizzes in classes to gauge the progress of the participants. Remedial measures will be taken based upon the scores from periodical tests so that the outcomes of the program will not be compromised. At the end of each quarter, a final written test to assess the participants’ achievements in reading and writing, and a Best Plus Post Test to measure the participants’ speaking and listening proficiency will also be administered.
Personnel
Our ESL team will be staffed with a program coordinator, an instructor, and a team of volunteers (3-4 in each quarter). The ESL coordinator, Daichun Tang will be responsible for the ESL component of the program, including curriculum of curricula selection, review of ESL Instructors’ lesson plans, and the monitoring of instructional activities. He will coordinate between instructor, volunteers, and the students, and between the ESL program and other programs within/outside BronxWorks. The instructor will be in charge of the designs of curricula, lesson plans/ syllabuses, and tests and quizzes for the pretests, in-course tests, and posttests. In addition, the instructor will also lead the volunteers in the in-class instruction and post-class tutorial sessions. The volunteers will assist the instructor delivering services to other students in need. They will also aid the program coordinator and instructor in outreach events and other extra-curricular activities. He will supervise the ESL Instructors and will prepare reports for the ESL component of the program to the Assistant Executive Director.
BronxWorks will require that volunteers selected for the program undergo a rigorous and highly structured training program that mirrors that for BronxWorks staff. Volunteers will be used to: (a) assist with classroom instruction for the ESL component; (b) help with the processing of naturalization applications; (c) complement staff resources for immigration law consultation days and citizenship drives; (d) provide planning and logistical support for education seminars; (e) provide follow up in support of these activities; and (f) conduct research on any matters relevant to NOFO operations. To the extent possible, volunteers will work side by side with staff members. There will be seamlessness with regards to how volunteers and staff members are perceived by NOFO clients and the broader immigrant community. They will directly report to the coordinator.
Naturalization Application Services Program
Experience and Community Need
BronxWorks has over 20 years of experience through the Legal Assistance Program that has helped over 900 legal residents in 2015 including underprivileged clients with Naturalization; Family Visa Petitions; Derivative Citizenship; DACA; U-Visa applications, Immigrant Workers Rights, and Permanent Residence Applications; and Spousal Abuse Waiver applications; and Adjustment of Status.
On staff the BronxWorks has a Supervising Immigration Attorney, and another Attorney who handles complex cases, an Immigration Specialist (paralegal), and a Program Aide to assist clients with naturalization or deferred action applications.
Individuals from approximately 40 nations received help with these applications, in particular New Americans from West Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Approximately 30,000 New Americans have received immigration assistance and naturalization application services from our Legal Assistance Program. The receipients of our services are low-income individuals under 200% of the Federal poverty level.
The December, 2015 research report conducted by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs points out additional benefits of helping legal immigrants naturalize, such as: Individual earnings increased by an average of 8.9 percentage points, or $3,200; employment rate rises 2.2 percentage points; and home ownership increases by 6.3 percentage points. In New York City naturalization lead to a decrease in the overall cost of six public benefits: child care subsidies, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The decreased costs listed are partially off-set by the rise in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) expenditures
Currently, BronxWorks is unable to immediately help low-income individuals for much needed naturalization application services. Due to the increase in applicant registration there is currently a six month waiting list for services. While the Bronx, New York has approximately four other providers of citizenship instruction and ESL course, BronxWorks is able to address clients in a holistic approach offering wrap-around services. BronxWorks continues to be a leading quality provider of these services.
Program Expansion
The proposed grant-funded program will expand the availability and enhance the quality of the existing naturalization application services offered at BronxWorks. Currently there is a 1 month waiting period for clients to set an appointment for this service. Individuals and families are in dire need of the attainment of naturalization. If funding is received, we will have the ability to hire a case manager who will oversee the needs of our clients. Typically case manager have a case load of 100 applications per year. Increasing capacity will have an immediate impact on the availability of services offered and quality given. Greater efficiency is needed in the handling of documents to ensure our clients are helped in a timely manner and all deadlines are met. Our clients depend on our expertise and thoroughness to successfully complete the application process.
We intend on increasing the number of preparation and submission of a minimum of 200 Forms N-400, Application for Naturalization with Form G-28 application services by supporting 100 applications in the first year and 125 applications in the second year. With the addition of another case manager we will have the capacity to service the overwhelming need for residents in our area.
Program Administration
The Legal Assistance Program has demonstrated experience developing and implementing outreach plans to raise awareness of services to recruit clients. The Attorney for BronxWorks Legal Assistance Program has appeared on several television programs to discuss DACA and its impact on young immigrants. The promotion of our services has appeared on TV programs including, Dialogo Abierto on BronxNet and Tiempo on WABC-TV. These programs are widely popular within the Bronx community and reach thousands of viewers each day.
The program has in the past, provided informational seminars for New Americans in a variety of community settings. These include seminars convened at places of worship, neighborhood spaces rented by civic or social organizations, local schools (public or parochial), post-secondary educational institutions, and neighborhood centers in Bronx communities with large concentrations of New Americans.
Within our review process we have developed procedures to ensure only lawful permanent residents will receive services. The intake procedure begins with the receptionist who first reviews the required documents that must be brought into the office and recorded. Potential clients then sit with a case manager who will then review the documents with the clients and ensure they are in compliance with the qualifications set by the Department of Homeland Security. Once it is determined that all valid documents are collected and recorded the case manager will move forward with intake procedures.
Service Delivery and Case Management
BronxWorks provides naturalization application services to our clients through preparing and filing affirmative applications with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Form N-400; Family Petitions, Form I-130; Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Form I821-D; Adjustment of Status, Form I485; and U-Visa applications for crime victims, Form 918; and Derivative Citizenship, Form N-600. In addition to application services BronxWorks immigration department can also assist eligible clients with Fee Waiver applications if qualified.
At the start of the process, Program Aide will screen all prospective clients using an instrument developed by the Immigration Attorney to determine their eligibility for services. Clients deemed eligible will be scheduled for an appointment to confer with the Immigration Specialist. In preparation for an appointment, the Program Aide, Immigration Specialist, or Immigration Attorney will ask a client to organize important documents and place them in a portfolio or file that will be easily accessible when the client comes for the appointment. The Program Aide will follow up with the client to insure that s/he has compiled the needed documents and organized them into a portfolio or file in accordance with a checklist provided by the Program Aide. During this process the program aide will determine client’s eligibility.
In addition, our immigration specialists help participants compile all necessary supporting documentation. This includes proof of income, living arrangements, essential expenditures, qualification for federal means-tested benefits, and disability for applicants who may be eligible for the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions (N-648). If the clients case is determined to be complex, it will be escalated to the attorney.
If, upon the review of screening materials it is determined that the client’s circumstances require immediate legal counsel, the Program Aide will instead schedule an appointment with the Immigration Specialist or Immigration Attorney. (COMPLEX CASES)
When the client meets with the Immigration Specialist or Immigration Attorney, the supporting documents and the checklist will be carefully reviewed. A service plan will then be developed based on the client’s needs. Depending upon the complexity of the client’s needs and the time necessary to prepare the appropriate naturalization or deferred action application will vary. In the case that either asylum or deportation issues arise the case will be referred out to one of our many non-profit partners to ensure clients receive the services they need.
There are several tests an applicant must undergo during examination for the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. BronxWorks is committed to preparing clients for this exam throughout the application process as well as supportive services. The exam encompasses determination of the applicant’s ability to speak English, read aloud in English, a written English test, and a civics test. Through our ESL class participants are prepared through constant engagement in the English language. A reading test vocabulary list is given and reviewed with clients for the reading test to help study for the English reading portion; A writing test vocabulary list focusing on civics and history topic will both aid in the writing test component as well as the civics test.
Workshops and one on one practices interviews are offered to applicants in hopes of preparing clients for the naturalization interview
BronxWorks understands the importance of our clients receiving up to date and accurate information on the status of their case. It is vital that the client be informed as to the process and requirements to successfully proceed in a timely manner. A case manager will meet with the client at a predetermined time set by both parties to ensure consistency and availability of services. The Notice to USCIS of Attorney Representation, Form G-28 will also be filed so that the Attorney will receive notifications of updates to the client’s case. The attorney will also update the case status of individual clients and notify the client in a timely manner so that all deadlines are met and the client is fully informed. Every case will have a file on the status as well to limit any oversight.
Our organization does not have any plans to use grant funds to hold group application workshops. We believe that offering personalized attention is the best approach in helping clients through the process.
Personnel
BronxWorks carefully employs staffs that have vast experiences and are unparallel in qualification. Our Legal Assistance Program is currently staffed by a Supervising Attorney, five immigration specialists, and a program assistant
For the Citizenship Program staffing will consist of the following: Arturo Lopez is our full-time Program Attorney and had been employed with the organization for over four years. Mr. Lopez will sign Form G-28 in connection with all naturalization application filed under this grant. His responsibilites includes the development of regular communication with contract managers for programs supervised; act as liaison with funding source; and ensure all programs meet contractual goals and reporting requirements.
Our staff Attorney, is receives a salary and will review and sign naturalization applications including submission of forms.
Our five immigration specialists are all paid employees of the organization and have the responsibility of client intake, case management and analysis. They regularly review immigration applications and determine eligibility.
BronxWorks has developed a multi-pronged approach to recruit and support volunteers for key elements of operations. To insure that they are of the highest moral and ethic character, volunteers will be carefully screened by the BronxWorks Human Resources Department. Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application, provide at least two references, and undergo a criminal background check. Volunteers will report to the ESL Coordinator and the Immigration Attorney.
Our organization has two Attorneys that provide naturalization application services. Arturo Lopez is currently the Supervising Attorney we have staffed for immigration legal services. To avoid any gaps in service should Mr. Lopez leave the organization, we have hired an additional attorney as a contingency.
Integration of Services
The proposed program will be housed within the Immigration Services Division and fully integrated into a portfolio managed by an assistant executive director that includes departments for homelessness prevention, senior, and children & youth services along with the Immigration and Workforce Development Units. Since the program will be housed at 1130 Grand Concourse, co-location of the programs will allow a natural integration of services. In order to provide clients with the full range of benefits between citizenship instruction and naturalization application services a referral system is implemented. During the initial interview case mangers develop a needs analysis with clients to access the challenges of each individual. Issues are identified based on this analysis and referrals can then be made to either program in hopes to provide a holistic approach to meeting client objectives.
Data collection system BronxWorks employs an internal monitoring system that ensures program, personnel, and fiscal issues of concern are brought to the attention of managers and, if necessary, the board for corrective action. This real-time monitoring system actively tracks and reports on services rendered and statistics on clients who successfully naturalize. Variance reports are also produced to stay in alignment with projections. At the staff level, program areas are divided into departments led by highly qualified professional staff. Programs within each department are led by a program director who meets with a department director or an assistant executive director (AED) once or twice a month to discuss program activities, including program milestones, revenues and expenditures, and staffing issues.
All Program Directors submit detailed monthly reports to department directors, who in turn submit reports to an assistant executive director or the executive director. Monthly reports include a statistical portion that analyzes the variance between anticipated outcomes and actual progress. Monthly reports also include a narrative portion in which program directors provide a qualitative review of the month’s progress.
