How to outreach to adult ESL program prospects?

Two things that really helped our church-based ESL classes: 1. Word of mouth--if your organization isn't well-known in the immigrant community, you need people within that community to vouch for you. We sent stacks of flyers with all our students. Help them take ownership in the success of the program and in helping their friends. (One of our students even went so far as to make his OWN flyers, which included my home phone number!) 2. Formalizing our classes (strict attendance reqs., homework, etc.) and offering a certificate at the end of the course. We had been offering more of a drop-in style class previously and had fairly low attendance (and it was really hard to teach!). When we changed it to a ten-week "basics" course, we ended up having to add enrollment caps. Generally, the more you ask of people, the more they will step up.

Ads in laundromats, grocery stores, churches, bus stops, and wherever else people traffic. Start with a radius close to where the classes are and spread outward. Promote the hard skills taught and benefits. Make it seem very approachable. Find community leaders and try to recruit them to help.

We have the same problem--even with free meals and free childcare, people are very sporadic in their attendance at our classes. We have had some luck with using our program as an adjunct to the local college's ESL program for people who want even more ESL classes than the two day a week program at the college. We have also provided ESL classes in conjunction with a welfare program coordinator who comes to our office twice a week to enroll people in the welfare program/handle welfare related issues in Spanish. The catch is that they get to sit through a short ESL lesson while they are waiting for their turn to talk to the guy from the welfare program.

My mom used to go to ESL classes. She found out from flyers in the local Latino goods store and from word of mouth from people who had attended previously. My community college's main problem wasn't recruitment, but retainment, as most people genuinely wanted to continue their ESL classes but they were incompatible with their work hours.

I've never worked on a program like this, but one idea is ads in the local Spanish language newspaper (if there is one?) and on local Spanish language radio? I assume TV ads might be too expensive - but they'd reach a lot of people.

I am an ESL teacher, but I am not this kind of ESL teacher. :) That said, I have a few ideas, although I don't have personal experience with them. - Libraries (many people go there to read books in their home languages, get books for their kids, look for jobs, etc., so I have actually heard that this can work well). - Seconding specialist grocery stores, as mentioned, which may have bulletin boards. - Seconding churches. - Is there a day laborer assembly area, either official or unofficial (such as a Home Depot parking lot)? It might be worth taking some flyers there. Twitter might be a good place to ask this question, too--there are tons of ESL professionals actively using it. You can MeMail me for my professional account username if you want to connect.