ABOUT US

Vimenti is an integral services center for the entire family, which runs projects in the educational, social and economic areas.

How Vimenti School was created?

It was created by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico as a service model in two generations to provide development opportunities and economic security to boys, girls, youths and adults, along with their parents. Located at the Ernesto Ramos Antonini housing project in San Juan, Vimenti actually runs the first charter school in Puerto Rico, has an after-school program for children and youths and has an employment development program for youths and adults focusing on hospitality, customer service and entrepreneurship.After conducting a significant amount of research, Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico (BGCPR) launched Vimenti School, Puerto Rico’s first charter school. Born through a collaboration between BGCPR and Saint John’s School, Vimenti used the human-centric design process to put our students and family’s needs and interests at the center of the strategy. Parents and students participated in the development of the school through an interactive design process.

 

Embracing human-centered design means believing that all problems, even the seemingly intractable ones like poverty, gender equality, and clean water, are solvable. Moreover, it means believing that the people who face those problems every day are the ones who hold the key to their answer...

From: Field Guide to Human-Centered Design

Vimenti will set high standards for its students. It has established the first public charter school in Puerto Rico, with the caliber and prestige to reach out to the community, have an impact beyond its immediate community and lead necessary education reform in Puerto Rico.Because education is the foundation of a solid future, Vimenti has a bilingual K-5 school program that is rigorous and differentiated to allow for students to thrive at their instructional level of readiness. Our students learn in a project-based learning environment where they are encouraged to be lifelong learners, problem solvers and leaders. Vimenti School’s students participate in our after-school program that runs until 5:30 p.m. and that provides academic support trough reading / writing and extracurricular activities such as computers, entrepreneurship and arts, just to name a few. When Vimenti was launched at the BGCPR’s Ramos Antonini Club Site in August 2018, the first high- quality early education intervention for low-income families was born.

The school ensures:

  • The best levels of education, following the educational standards and the competences needed for student success
  • High quality teachers recruitment
  • Appropriate support systems for student and families
  • Excellent measurement process and assessment tools
  • A continued improvement process for the school

Mission

Vimenti School fosters the discovery of individual talents and develops students with the skills and values necessary to compete in a global economy.

Vision

Our school will provide a dynamic, differentiated and inclusive learning environment where children participate in ample literacy and numeracy experiences and, through authentic play, begin to develop self-awareness, a healthy socio-emotional foundation, curiosity and a love of learning.

Core Values

Innovation - Innovative education is a tool to break generational poverty.

College and career readiness - We educate for careers and college.

Family at the center - Families are an integral part of the education path.

Ambition - Inspire our students to take risks and overcome challenges.

Skills for life - Encourage resourcefulness, resilience and tenacity as critical skills for success.

Individualized approach - Discover, nurture and advance individual abilities and talents.

Lifelong learning - Foster intellectual curiosity, creativity and a passion for lifelong learning.

Exceptional Teaching - Great learning is facilitated by creative, passionate and trained people.

Creativity and innovation is expected.

Multi-sensory - A learning environment that incorporates all six senses.

Excellence - Strive for world-class quality in everything we do.

Continuous growth - Everyone is a student, even teachers and administrators.

Respect - Students, parents and teachers treat each other with utmost respect.

Target

Vimenti School serves families under the poverty level from the Ramos Antonini Public Housing Project in San Juan and nearby communities. The school started with 50 to 64 students from kinder and first grade and adds two kinder classrooms each year thereafter.

To assure the best-learning environment, each classroom has one teacher and one teacher assistant and no more than 17 students per group. During the first year, the first grade classrooms had 10 students.

First grade students will not come from schools with similar kindergarten structures, so small groups should be ensured to allow them to have an appropriate learning environment. That way, they can adapt to the bilingual curriculum and grade requirements.