FRAMINGHAM - Framingham Adult English as a Second Language Plus (FAESL) will benefit from a $300,000 grant to boost its programming in Milford.

Established back in 1984, FAESL operates through Framingham Public Schools to provide classes for adults in the MetroWest area looking to learn English and other various life skills. Classes offered through the program include English instruction, GED and citizenship test preparation, and more.

The recent grant, which was given by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for a pilot program, will bring seven new ESL classes to Milford by the end of August while paving the way for additional staff members and new resources.

Executive Director of FAESL Dr. Kevin O’Connor explained that many adult educators work on a part-time basis, so using a considerable amount of the grant funding for more full-time staff members was a priority.

“If I’m trying to oversee five sites, it’s really great that this grant can not only cover the cost of teachers and student advisors and a tech coordinator, but also a full-time position of another administrator to really make sure that things are going well,” O’Connor said in an interview with The Frame.

“It’s not enough to just get people in classes—we want people in good classes.”

O’Connor mentioned that he has been a part of the FAESL team since the mid-1990’s. In that time, he’s seen the organization grow to serve about 1,300 people currently, with 120 more students set to be added in Milford with this grant. He added that over time, these resources have made Framingham and the MetroWest area a more vibrant place.

“I think Framingham is an example of a gateway city—although not technically a gateway city—that has done it right and really made the immigrant community part of the (local) community,” he continued.

“That’s revitalized Framingham in a way we don’t see in other cities.”

That mixture of a dedicated staff along with a wide range of ESL classes, according to O’Connor, empowers people who want to “put down roots” in the region.

“I see a thousand people believing in a thousand American Dreams; people who come in from an apartment that they can barely afford, driving a rattletrap car, working a 14-hour day,” O’Connor said.

“They come in and they’re there to learn English because they believe it’s going to work for them here. These people believe in the American Dream.”

The registration lottery for the fall semester of FAESL classes in Milford will take place at Milford High School on Thursday, August 29. For more information, visit FAESL’s website by clicking here.