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Family School: Learn English
Learning begins together!
Our Family School offers free English classes for adults with young children, opening doors for both you and your young scholar to explore the exciting world of learning. As an adult learner, you can take advantage of English language courses two mornings a week while your children attend preschool or early childhood programming.
Gaining confidence in your English speaking, reading and writing skills not only unlocks opportunities, but also guarantees active and meaningful involvement in your and your child's educational journey.
Get In Touch
For more information about Family School, call us at 952-975-6968.
Para obtener información en Español, contáctese con 952-975-7206.
Haddii aad u baahan tahay qof ku hadla af Soomaali la hadal 952-975-7254.
Lifelong learning
Explore Family School
The Family School is the center of our family literacy programming and is designed so parents/guardians can go to class while their children are in school.
In partnership with Metro South Adult Basic Education, Eden Prairie Community Education expanded options for families who want to improve their English and gain literacy skills. This decision was made following a community assessment on needs, barriers and resources for adult and family literacy, which found a need for accessible English classes in Eden Prairie, especially among mothers of young children.
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We offer two class levels: Beginning/Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced.
- Adult classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays OR on Tuesdays and Thursdays, depending on proficiency level.
- While the adult learner is in the English class, their child attends Little Eagles Preschool or participates in early childhood enrichment or child care.
- Preschoolers who are 3 years old by September 1 attend Little Eagles classes at Lower Campus.
- Preschoolers who are 4 years old by September 1 attend preschool at their assigned elementary school.
- If space allows, free child care is available for babies, toddlers and other children who need child care but are not enrolled in preschool.
Family school is a wonderful experience. The teacher is amazing. She has help me understand grammar that I have had difficulty to comprehend for many years. The sibling care has been a wonderful experience for my kids and myself. The staff take good care of my children and they are very friendly.
Family School Participant (2024-25)
Ready to start?
Join Us at Family School
Separate registrations are required for adult classes, preschool and/or child care (baby and toddler class).
Register each child for Little Eagles Preschool or call 952-975-7200 for assistance. While registering children for preschool, parents/guardians will be asked if they are interested in Family School. Select "YES" and a member of Community Education will reach out about next steps.
Register for English courses with Family School for 2025-26 to secure a spot for proficiency testing and course placement. Adult learners need to complete a reading comprehension exam, which ensures they are placed in the right course level. It is best to complete this test before starting a class. After testing and being placed, we will help register any other children who need child care. Tests are hosted by our Community Education or through Metro South directly.
If you see a note that this class is full, please register anyway. Everyone who registers will be on the waitlist until we receive a test score.
Instructions: Customized post popup (THIS DOES NOT SHOW ON THE LIVE PAGE)
To use a customized post popup that does not use Composers native post popup functionality, follow the steps below. This is to be used with a Post element.
- Set the post element to not open in a popup in the "Link To" settings.
- All fields except title, thumbnail, and read more are hidden by default on the page.
- Add the "customized-popup" custom class to the grid, list or slider Post element.
- There are custom classes to show every field in the post element by default. As mentioned in #2, they are all hidden by default on the page, except for the title, thumbnail, and read more, but below are a list of custom classes you can utilize if you want a particular field to show on the page. These custom classes are to be put on the Post element. The names are self explanatory and are named after the available fields in the "Content Details" area of the Post element settings. THESE CLASSES WILL MAKE THE RELEVANT FIELDS SHOW ON THE PAGE.
- page-show-tags
- page-show-categories
- page-show-body
- page-show-updateddate
- page-show-updatedtime
- page-show-expireddate
- page-show-expiredtime
- page-show-publishdate
- page-show-publishtime
- page-show-author
- page-show-sharingbuttons
- Similarly, there are a set of custom classes available which will allow you to hide information in the popup. THESE CLASSES WILL MAKE THE RELEVANT FIELDS HIDE IN THE POPUP.
- popup-hide-summary
- popup-hide-tags
- popup-hide-categories
- popup-hide-body
- popup-hide-thumbnail
- popup-hide-updateddate
- popup-hide-updatedtime
- popup-hide-expireddate
- popup-hide-expiredtime
- popup-hide-publishdate
- popup-hide-publishtime
- popup-hide-author
- popup-hide-sharingbuttons
- popup-hide-thumbnail
- There is one custom class available to hide the thumbnail on the actual page (this won't affect the popup).
- page-hide-thumbnail
- Ideally, never turn on the "Link titles to post details" setting in the "Content Details" area of the Post element settings. That generates the anchors which was causing duplicates in the search results. However, on page load, they are being removed anyway. Better safe than sorry!
- Whatever details are checked in the "Content Details" area, that's what will show up in the popup (unless you hide them via the custom classes that are provided), except for the read more link. Logically, there's nothing to read more at that point, and also mimics how the native Composer Post popup works. This means by extension, the "Popup Details" area in the Post element settings is now disabled.
Is Family School right for me and my family?
Adults interested in participating in Family School must:
- Have an English test score in the right range for the class AND
- Commit attending class at least 80% of the time
Priority is given to parents/guardians with young children and families who live in Eden Prairie. Family School is designed for adults with young children, but any eligible adult (even those without young children) can take the English course if space allows and they are interested in learning about topics related to parenting.
The Family School classes may not be the right level for everyone, but we will help connect you to a class that matches your English level if you cannot attend Family School.
Does Family School cost anything?
Little Eagles Preschool for 3 and 4 year olds may or may not be free. A limited number of Little Eagles Preschool scholarships and busing for preschool students are available to qualifying families.
Families who do not qualify for fee assistance will need to pay for preschool. See the Little Eagles Preschool page for more information.
Why do I need to take a test before registering?
Metro South Adult Basic Education is also required by law to test within 12 hours of enrollment, and it is best to test before starting a class.
When are English classes?
- Beginning/Intermediate courses — held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Intermediate/Advanced courses — held on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
Placement for classes is dependent on participants' score on the reading comprehension exam.
Does my child attend preschool or child care?
The adult English class is scheduled so parents can go to class while their child is in preschool or at child care.
Preschool
Children who turn 3 or 4 before September 1 can register for morning Little Eagles Preschool at Lower Campus (for 3 year olds) or their assigned elementary school (for 4 year olds).
Child Care
Child care may be available if space allows for babies, toddlers and other younger children who need care — but are not in preschool — while a parent attends the English class at Lower Campus. Child care is free, but space is limited.
Is busing available?
Free busing IS offered for all 4 year olds attending half-day preschool at their boundary school. Only eligible 3-year-old preschool students can receive free bus transportation.
Busing IS NOT offered for adults or younger children in the baby and toddler program.
If transportation assistance is needed, Community Education staff can help adults apply for SouthWest Transit's Transportation Assistance Program, which gives a discounted price for SW Prime passes. Contact Reta Johnson at 952-975-7030 for more information about the Transportation Assistance Program.
Don't have young children but still interested in taking an English class?
While our Family School is designed for families with young children, eligible adults without young children can take English classes if space allows AND they are interested in learning about topics related to parenting.
Space is limited and acceptance is based on availability. Busing is not available for adult learners.
Contact Us
English
For more information about Family School in English, contact:
Español
Para obtener información en Español, contáctese:
Soomaaliga
Haddii aad u baahan tahay qof ku hadla afka Soomaaliga, la xiriir:
Metro South Adult Basic Education is a key partner in Eden Prairie Schools' Family School programming. Metro South is partially funded through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using state and/or federal funding, Minnesota Statute Section 124D.522 and/or CFDA 84.002, Adult Basic Education-Grants to States.
The Family School classes are educational. I enjoy coming here and I am learning so much. I love my group. It is fantastic that my child csn attend preschool while I come to english classes.
Mother of preschool student (family school)