Non-profit Organization
Friends of the Hernández (FOH)
Friends of the Rafael Hernández School (FOH) is the non-profit organization that supports and advocates for the community of students, families, and neighbors of the Hernández School. Founded in 2001, FOH supports the HUB Community School strategy of the school through an array of programs and services.
Friends of the Hernández relies on the support of individual donors, foundations, governmental grants, and our community to do the work we do. Can you join in these efforts through a one time or monthly donation?
Contributions to our 501(c)3, Friends of the Hernandez, are tax-deductible.
We also accept donations of stocks and in-kind donations such as board games, school supplies, and more! Contact director(at)friendsofthehernandez.org for more information.
Donations can be made online (above) or send check or money order to:
Friends of the Hernandez
61 School Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
Thank you to our grant-makers and businesses who have generously donated to the Hernandez school and FOH!
Grantors include:
Anna B. Stearns Foundation, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: ASOST, Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation, City of Boston: Swim Safe, City of Boston: Neighborhood Jobs Trust, Cummings Foundation, Jinny Chalmers Fund for Educational Justice, Mabel A. Horne Fund, Mass General Hospital: Community Health Impact Funds, Mildred’s Dream Foundation, Northeastern University Community Grants, Someone Else’s Child
Your Donations Fund The Following Community Programs
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Your Donations Fund The Following Community Programs 〰️
Hernández After School Program (HASP)
The Hernández After School Program (HASP), a program of FOH, provides youth development programming and social-emotional learning in a safe environment where youth can develop their bilingual identity, receive targeted homework support, and explore new interests with caring adults and peers. Open to all Hernández students (K1-8), the program operates Monday through Friday from school dismissal at 3:10 until 6:00 PM.
HASP Calendar 2024-25
HASP Handbook 2023-24
Enrollment and Fees
Here at HASP, we pride ourselves on our affordability. You can find our enrollment fees and information about qualifying for reduced rates in our handbook — we firmly believe in quality after school care for every child. There will be a $35 registration fee for new participants to the program.
Vouchers
The state of Massachusetts offers assistance to pay for child care, including After School programs, for families who qualify based on financial need. Please contact the Child Care Choice of Boston Center at 617-542-5437 or visit their website at childcarechoicesofboston.org to see if you qualify.
Additionally, if you experience financial hardship and none of the above options work for your family, please contact us at (617) 635-8187 ext. 11091 or email Anita Torres at atorres (at) bostonpublicschools .org
Disclosure: There may be a waitlist for certain grades. We run on a first come, first serve basis.
Adult Education Classes
The Adult Education Program at the Hernández provides educational and recreational opportunities to adults in the Hernández community and take place right at school. Classes are offered in both English and Spanish depending on the class, and child care is available when needed. When room is available, classes are also open to members of the community at-large.
Classes include:
English as a Second Language
Citizenship preparation
Computer literacy
Financial literacy
College classes in Early Childhood Education
through the Urban College of Boston
Spanish as a second language
Fuel assistance training
Parenting support groups
Mental health and trauma support groups
Fitness
Classes take place in the late afternoon and evening, mostly in person at school but some meet remotely through Zoom. To sign up for an ongoing or one time adult ed opportunity, contact Adult Education Director Johanna Littlewood at Johannal(at)friendsofthehernandez.org.
“For many years I volunteered at the
Hernández but this year I started the
Primeras Maestras program. It’s been a
great experience for me. It took me out
of my comfort zone and showed me I can do more than I thought I could. I
love being part of the Hernández!”
Primeras Maestras Program (FOH)
The Primeras Maestras (“First Teachers”) program trains Hernández community members to become dual language educators, leveraging their linguistic and child-rearing skills as tools for economic stability. The program acts as a pipeline for future educators in Boston Public Schools and in other educational settings and provides parents with expanded tools to support the academic and social-emotional needs of their children.
Program Information
The program operates during two 16 week training sessions during the academic year, September - January and February - June
Participants work in pre-K through 4th grade classrooms with 1:1 mentor teachers for 2.5 hours a day, four days a week, assisting with instruction, classroom management, and other tasks typically performed by paraprofessionals/classroom assistants
Participants receive training through group workshops on classroom management, literacy instruction, school based practices, and employment seeking, e.g. resume building, mock interviews, cover letters.
Participants take classes in English as a Second Language and math for eight hours a week, with a focus on English in education settings to enhance their employability and job readiness
Through a partnership with the Urban College of Boston, participants take college-level courses in Child Development, providing them with important academic content and also college credit, should they want to continue their education.
A partnership with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation provides workshops in financial literacy, and a partnership with the Technology Goes Home program provides classes in computer literacy, with a focus on school based computer needs.
Participants are paid for their work, as they provide valuable services to the students and the school.
Are you interested in becoming an educator through the Primeras Maestras Program? Contact Adult Education Director Johanna Littlewood for more information at Johannal(at) friendsofthehernandez.org.
Donation Center
The Donation Center and food distribution program aims to address economic challenges faced by many students and families at the school. The Donation Center is located off the gym and is stocked with clothing, health and hygiene supplies, school supplies, and more.
Every other Tuesday there are Distribution Days where bags of groceries, personal care items, and more are available to families of the school. When possible families come to pick up bags during school or after school hours or in some cases, items are sent home with students.
The Donation Center can be accessed on an as-needed basis during or after school hours by contacting the school (617-635-8187) or HUB School Coordinator Brandel Delgado Rodriguez, bdelgadorodriguez (at) bostonpublicschools.org. To get on the Distribution Day list, also contact Brandel.
We’re grateful to the many family volunteers who make the work of the Donation Center possible.
FOH Mission
Friends of the Hernández is guided by an 11 member Board of Directors made up of current and former Hernández caregivers, educators, and community members. We’re guided by the mission, vision, and values below and the belief that when given great opportunities, students and their families are best able to thrive.
The Friends of the Hernández (FOH) supports and advocates for the Rafael Hernández K-8 Dual Language School, its students, families, and the surrounding community. In collaboration with school staff, families and partners, FOH promotes quality dual language education, provides enriching After School programming, increases access to the arts, and affords educational opportunities to adults in the community. We undertake these efforts motivated by our vision for a socially just and equitable education for our children and all children in Boston.
FOH Vision
We envision the Rafael Hernández School as a community hub filled with happy, healthy, brilliantly bilingual-biliterate, creative and community-oriented students. Through our partnership with the Hernández School, we affirm the dignity of students and families and strive to ensure that each receives what they deserve -- a high quality bilingual education, extraordinary learning enrichment opportunities, and the physical and social-emotional well-being necessary to thrive.
FOH Values
We exist for our students, families and neighbors. They are our partners and leaders in this work. Their voices should be elevated in all decision making and help guide our services and actions.
Start at the Source
All decisions made by FOH will be done so with an intentional focus on culture. The culture of our families is varied, intersectional, and ever-changing. To honor culture requires representation, inclusion, and naming when we have not achieved this and taking action to correct it.
Honor Culture
Seeking to function as a community school, requires listening to many voices, sharing power, and a passion for social justice. To do this in an authentic way will require that FOH be honest, operate with integrity, and continuously learn, question and improve in its operations. We must be active in this work to live out our mission and values.
Be Open
As a school and organization formed through grassroots organizing, all decisions must prioritize relationships between people. We would not exist without the person to person connections, and our work must continue to value that intangible resource.
Prioritize Relationships
To focus on racially, economically and legally vulnerable families requires more than providing resources, it requires advocating and pushing to create change within the systems that place families in vulnerable positions. Decisions and actions of FOH must consider both the programmatic needs to provide direct support but also the change required in the macro-level systems creating that need in the first place.
Seek Justice
We exist to support the best possible education for our students, which implies commitment to an ambitious vision for academic programming of the school (both core daily instruction and after-school programming), and to the wrap-around supports that make excellent instruction possible.
Expect Excellence
FOH LEADERSHIP TEAM
Executive Director and Adult Programs Director: Johanna Littlewood
After School Director: Nicaury De La Cruz
After School Assistant Director: Gretchen Suarez
Adult Programs Assistant Manager: Sharycel Espada
Budget and Development Director: Megan Wolf
Board of Directors: Matt Cregor (Chair), Ana Contreras (Treasurer), Soo Hong (Secretary), Vetto Casado, Elizabeth Cepeda, Danielle Costello (Hernández Principal), Melani Daniels, Erin Glesne-Smith, Noelia Lugo, Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Cynthia So-Armah
We invite you to reach out if you have questions about our community programs or if you want to discuss potential grant opportunities.
