SOUTH FALLSBURG, NY — During the current school year, as part of the Extended Day curriculum, English-as-a-second-language teachers have been meeting with seventh and eighth graders who are brand new arrivals to America and to Fallsburg Central School District. The Newcomers Program has been very helpful to the children, who come with little or no English. According to instructors Jesus Galvan and Malvina Saavedra, the children get to bond with each other, learn to use computers, and work on homework and academic support with the teacher’s guidance.

Since many of the children from Honduras and Ecuador have families working in the local farm and farm-related industry, the New York State Migrant Education Program is deeply involved in this after-school program as well.