San Juan, Puerto Rico – The integrated family services center, Vimenti, successfully began its new 2024-2025 school year with an increase in enrollment, reaching 314 students from kindergarten through seventh grade. Vimenti begins its sixth year of operation with offerings in its educational, social, economic development, and other programming opportunities that contribute to families achieving economic mobility and breaking generational cycles of poverty.
Vimenti has been operating since 2018; when they began, it began with kindergarten and first grade. It opens one grade yearly to ensure continuity of services, evaluation, and education.
“This year, we are proud to announce that we are now directly serving more than 250 families enrolled in Vimenti. This is because, through our Two Generations model, we impact children and families as a whole. We continue to provide them with the tools and opportunities for their children to achieve the best academic performance, just as the entire family improves their economic situation. That is the true success of all of us,” said Barbara Rivera Batista, executive director of Vimenti.
Kindergarten through third-grade students continue to take classes at the Vimenti I facility at the Ernesto Ramos Antonini Residence Hall, while grades four through seven receive services at Vimenti's second facility in Villa Prades. Students receive complete academic services, social and emotional support, and health services at both facilities. In addition, their families benefit from the social and economic development area's services, including its Employability and Careers Program, which helps them prepare and insert them into the country's workforce. At Vimenti, each family is assigned a case manager and a social worker to be accompanied to achieve their goals and break generational cycles of poverty.
As part of the educational pillar, Vimenti offers After-School programming for participants between 6 and 18 years old after school. In this space, participants receive programming that includes tutoring, supervised homework, and access to technology, art, and sports, among other services. Meanwhile, the economic development area announced that it recently concluded the recruitment process for the twenty-eighth cohort of its Employability and Careers Program, which will be a hybrid program.
This program offers its participants - free of charge - employability skills to obtain employment in the hospitality and customer service industries. It consists of five-week workshops - or 125 contact hours - focused on customer service, hospitality, and tourism. It also offers mentoring support, a direct relationship with employers to help participants find employment, and a one-year job shadowing program after completing the workshops. They also participate in complementary programs, such as conversational English, certifications in computer skills, financial workshops, and resume preparation support, among other services. Those interested can access the link https://vimenti.org/programa-de-empleabilidad-y-carreras/ for free registration.
“This will be a great year, and I thank the entire Vimenti team, which is the driving force behind Vimenti's mission to eradicate child poverty in Puerto Rico,” emphasized Rivera Batista.