Community and Adult Basic Education ESL

Napa Valley College offers several FREE community and adult basic education ESL classes. These classes are offered on the Main Campus and at several offsite organizations, including:

  1. Napa Valley Adult Education
  2. Puertas Abiertas
  3. UpValley Family Centers
  4. Calistoga Elementary School
  5. Boys & Girls Club - St. Helena
 ABEN courses are FREE to the community with open-entry/open-exit enrollment. This means you can join, attend, and leave the class any time!


We currently have three main ABEN courses we offer in the surrounding community.Here are descriptions of the courses we offer: 

Course Descriptions

Adult Basic Education and Community ESL Courses

ABEN 750
Multi-level, multi-skill ESL class

  • Listening: Identify a limited range of words and phrases drawn from familiar material. 
  • Speaking: Demonstrate the ability to engage in very limited social conversations using familiar English words and supported by gestures to express basic survival needs.
  • Reading: Interpret simple sentences from previously learned vocabulary by recognizing and demonstrating understanding of basic vocabulary. 
  • Writing: Produce simple sentences using a limited number of basic words and phrases to complete simple forms.

ABEN 753
ESL for Hospitality Workers

  • Engage in basic conversations related to the hospitality environment.
  • Become familiar with the basic and necessary vocabulary and basic grammar concepts pertaining to the hospitality workforce.

ABEN 755
Preparation for College ESL​

  • ​Demonstrate mastery of basic grammar and academic vocabulary necessary to succeed in college credit ESL classes.
  • Apply knowledge of study-skills required to be successful in ESL college credit classes.
  • Identify processes to successfully navigate a college setting and online resources.
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