Hoops & Homework
Our Programs
Hoops and Homework is a safe and nurturing neighborhood-based after-school program which expands opportunities for youth in Framingham.
We are licensed through the Massachusetts Office of Early Education and Care.
Hours
We are open during the school year from 3:30-6:30 pm, as well as during the summer and non school days from 9 am to 4 pm.
Teen Program
The teen program is held on Mondays and Thursday for teens between the age of 14-17
Academic Support & Skill Building
Description: Academic Support & Skill Building is embedded into the daily afterschool schedule and centers on homework
completion, tutoring, literacy development, and skill reinforcement aligned with school-day learning. Staff provide
relationship-based academic support, helping participants develop strong study habits, organizational skills, and confidence in their abilities while reducing stress for youth and families.
Mission Connection: Strengthens academic success and confidence through consistent, accessible learning support
beyond the school day.
Enrichment Programs
Description: Enrichment & Exploration Activities expand learning beyond academics through hands-on, curiosity-driven
experiences. Youth participate in rotating activities that may include STEM projects, arts, music, dance, cultural learning, environmental education, and creative exploration. These experiences are designed to spark curiosity, encourage self-
discovery, and support social-emotional development.
Mission Connection: Supports whole-child development by fostering creativity, curiosity, and engagement beyond the
classroom.
Recreation, Wellness & Community Time
Description: Recreation, Wellness & Community Time promotes physical health, social-emotional well-being, and positive peer relationships. Youth engage in structured and unstructured physical activity, outdoor play, fitness, mindfulness, and group-building experiences that support stress relief, teamwork, and a strong sense of belonging.
Mission Connection: Promotes physical well-being, social-emotional health, and positive youth development through
movement, wellness, and connection.
School Year After School Program
Description: The School Year Afterschool Program operates daily during the academic year and delivers the three core elements in a safe, structured, and relationship-centered environment. The program aligns with the school day whilemeeting the needs of working families during critical afterschool hours, supporting learning, well-being, and consistent youth engagement.
Mission Connection: Supports academic success, youth well-being, and family stability through reliable, high-quality
afterschool programming.
Summer Program
Description: The Summer Program is a full-day delivery model offered when school is not in session. Youth engage in academic support, experiential learning, field trips, arts, STEM activities, and recreation designed to prevent learning loss
and sustain engagement while continuing skill development in a fun, supportive environment.
Mission Connection: Sustains learning, engagement, and family stability during the summer months.
Holiday & School-Break Programming
Description: Holiday and School-Break Programming provides full-day care and enrichment during school vacations and holidays. Programming maintains structure, safety, and engagement while responding to family needs throughout the year.
Mission Connection: Ensures equitable access to safe, enriching programming during school closures while supporting families.
After Hours (Teen Program)
Description: After Hours is Hoops & Homework’s dedicated teen program for middle and high school youth, operating during evening hours. The program emphasizes leadership development, creative expression, healthy relationships, and community engagement while providing a safe, developmentally appropriate space for teens to build
independence, accountability, and peer connection.
Mission Connection: Promotes safety, leadership, and positive identity development forteens while strengthening community connection.
Youth Leadership Institute (YLI)
Description: The Youth Leadership Institute is a leadership development program offered in partnership with Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Rho Epsilon Omega Chapter – MetroWest. Serving youth ages 11–13 through monthly Saturday workshops, YLI focuses on civic awareness, service, cultural exploration, environmental stewardship, and career
exposure over a 2.5-year cycle.
Mission Connection: Advances positive youth development and civic leadership by empowering youth to become informed, confident, and engaged community members.
Lean In Girls - Girls Who Grow
Description: Girls Who Grow is a leadership development program for girls and young teens ages 11–15, grounded in the Lean In Girls curriculum. Through interactive, one-hour sessions, participants build confidence, resilience, and a
strong sense of self by redefining leadership, challenging stereotypes, and practicing growth mindset skills in a safe and brave space.
Mission Connection: Advances gender equity and positive youth development by empowering girls to grow as leaders in their schools, communities, and future pathways.
Next Up: Pathways @ Hoops & Homework
Description: Next Up: Pathways @ Hoops & Homework is a workforce development and internship pipeline designed to support young people as they transition from program participation into real-world work experience, employment, and long-term leadership connection. The program intentionally builds on youth engagement in Hoops & Homework by providing structured, developmentally appropriate opportunities to gain professional skills, workplace exposure, and paid and unpaid work experience. Youth advance into Next Up Intern roles through placements supported by public workforce initiatives such as YouthWorks (administered by Commonwealth Corporation through local MassHire workforce boards), as well as partnerships with schools, community organizations, and direct applications. Next Up emphasizes employability skills including communication, reliability, teamwork, time management, and professionalism, while also offering hands-on experience in program support, youth mentoring, media, administration, and community-facing roles. Paid placements are prioritized whenever funding allows, ensuring youth have equitable access to income, experience, and career-building opportunities. Interns who demonstrate readiness and commitment may transition into part-time or full-time staff roles within Hoops & Homework and remain connected as alumni through mentorship, volunteerism, and future workforce opportunities. This model allows Hoops & Homework to cultivate talent from within while providing youth with meaningful pathways to economic mobility and leadership.
Mission Connection: Strengthens economic mobility and workforce readiness by creating equitable access to paid work experience, skill
development, and long-term career pathways, while building a sustainable, community-rooted talent pipeline.
Rise & Thrive (College & Career Readiness)
Description: Rise & Thrive is Hoops & Homework’s college and career readiness program designed to support youth as they prepare for life after high school. The program combines career exploration, resume and interview preparation, financial aid and FAFSA guidance, and exposure to postsecondary options including college campuses, training programs, and
career pathways. A defining feature of Rise & Thrive is its use of near-peer mentoring, connecting high school youth with college students and young adults who provide real-world insight into academic expectations, campus life, balancing responsibilities, and navigating transitions beyond high school. Programming is delivered through guided discussions, interactive workshops, campus visits, and family-engaged sessions that demystify postsecondary systems and empower youth to make informed choices aligned with their goals, values, and lived experiences.
Mission Connection: Expands equitable access to postsecondary opportunity by building confidence, preparedness, and informed decision-making, while reducing barriers related to knowledge, access, and representation in college and career pathways.
Hoops Media
Description:
The Hoops Media Team is a youth-led digital media program that provides hands-on experience in audio and video production, filming, editing, and visual storytelling. Participants work individually and in teams to plan, produce, and refine original content that highlights youth voice, program experiences, and community stories. Through project-based learning, youth develop technical media skills alongside essential workforce competencies such as collaboration, time management, problem-solving, and professionalism. The program emphasizes creativity, accountability, and ownership, allowing young people to build portfolios, confidence, and transferable skills applicable to creative industries and other career pathways.
Mission Connection:
Elevates youth voice and creative expression while building marketable technical and professional skills that support
workforce readiness and future opportunity.
Talk to Hoops Podcast
Description: Talk to Hoops Podcast is a youth-produced audio
storytelling platform that centers young people’s voices, experiences, and perspectives. Youth participants lead all aspects of the podcast process, including topic development, interviewing, hosting, recording, and editing. Through guided facilitation, youth explore issues relevant to their lives and communities while strengthening communication skills, confidence, and critical thinking. The podcast creates a public-facing outlet for youth expression and dialogue, encouraging leadership, authenticity, and civic engagement through storytelling.
Mission Connection:
Builds confidence, leadership, and self-expression by empowering youth to share their stories, engage audiences, and develop strong communication skills.
Hoops & Homework Invitational
Description: The Hoops & Homework Invitational is a summer sports-based enrichment program designed in a tournament and mini-season format that blends skill development, teamwork, and structured competition. Youth participate in a preseason phase focused on training, fundamentals, and team-building, followed by a draft experience that mirrors organized sports leagues and promotes fairness, excitement, and engagement. The program culminates in a tournament-
style season where teams compete in a structured, supportive environment that emphasizes sportsmanship, discipline, and positive peer interaction. This model creates a motivating experience while reinforcing accountability, preparation, and
teamwork both on and off the court.
Mission Connection: Promotes physical wellness, teamwork, and positive youth development by using sports as a vehicle
for engagement, confidence-building, and community connection.
Framingham State University – Rise & Thrive Partnership
Description: This partnership connects Hoops & Homework youth with Framingham State University college students who serve as near- peer mentors within the Rise & Thrive program. College mentors provide tutoring support, enrichment leadership, and authentic insight into college academics, campus life, and postsecondary expectations. Through consistent relationship- building, youth gain practical knowledge and confidence as they navigate college and career decision-making, while mentors offer relatable guidance grounded in lived experience.
Partner Contribution: College student mentors, near-peer tutoring, enrichment leadership, campus exposure, and postsecondary insight.
Mission Connection: Demystifies higher education and builds aspiration, belonging, and confidence through trusted near-peer relationships.
Christa McAuliffe Center (Framingham State University)
Description: The Christa McAuliffe Center provides partner-led STEM and space science programming that emphasizes inquiry, exploration, and hands-on experimentation. Through interactive lessons and immersive learning experiences, youth engage with scientific concepts in accessible and engaging ways that encourage curiosity and critical thinking. Programming introduces youth to STEM fields while reinforcing problem-solving, creativity, and confidence in science-based learning.
Partner Contribution: STEM curriculum design, science educators, hands-on materials, and inquiry-based facilitation.
Mission Connection: Inspires interest in STEM fields and expands access to high-quality, experiential science education.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Night
Description: MIT Lincoln Laboratory Night is a career and STEM exposure experience that introduces youth to engineering, technology, and applied science pathways. Through presentations and interactive engagement, participants learn about real-world applications of STEM, the educational pathways leading to these careers, and the role of innovation in solving complex problems. The experience broadens youth understanding of potential futures in technical and research-driven fields.
Partner Contribution: STEM professionals, career exposure content, and insight into engineering and technology career pathways.
Mission Connection: Broadens awareness of STEM careers and future opportunities by connecting youth to real-world applications and
professionals in the field.
Jeff's Place
Description: Jeff’s Place is a community-based organization dedicated to substance use prevention and education for youth and families. Through this partner-led collaboration, Jeff’s Place designs and delivers age appropriate programming that helps young people understand the risks associated with substance use while building coping skills, self-awareness, and healthy decision-making strategies. Sessions emphasize prevention, resilience, and support, creating space for youth to ask questions and engage in honest discussion within a trusted environment.
Partner Contribution: Curriculum design, prevention education, and facilitation led by trained professionals.
Mission Connection: Supports youth safety, health literacy, and informed decision-making by promoting prevention- focused education and well-being.
YMCA / MetroWest YMCA
Description: The YMCA / MetroWest YMCA partners with Hoops & Homework to support youth wellness through access to nutritious meals, physical activity, and health-promoting resources. As a partner-led collaboration, the YMCA contributes expertise in youth development, wellness programming, and nutrition support that strengthens the overall quality of Hoops & Homework programming. This partnership helps ensure youth have access to healthy food, safe recreation, and
opportunities to build lifelong wellness habits.
Partner Contribution: Meal support, wellness expertise, and physical activity resources.
Mission Connection: Improves nutrition, health access, and safe recreation opportunities that support holistic youth
development.
Nike Community Ambassadors
Description: Nike Community Ambassadors engage Hoops & Homework youth in leadership and wellness-focused experiences that emphasize confidence, teamwork, and healthy lifestyles. Through this partner-led engagement, ambassadors share lived experience, mentorship, and inspiration while connecting youth to positive messages around physical activity, goal-setting, and self-belief. Programming reinforces leadership identity through movement and shared experience.
Partner Contribution: Leadership engagement, mentorship, and wellness-focused activities.
Mission Connection: Encourages leadership development, confidence, and lifelong wellness habits through positive role
modeling.
Mass Audubon
Description: Mass Audubon provides partner-led environmental and science education experiences that connect youth to nature, conservation, and environmental stewardship. Through hands-on activities, outdoor learning, and inquiry-based exploration, youth build awareness of ecosystems, sustainability, and the natural world while strengthening curiosity and scientific thinking.
Partner Contribution: Environmental education curriculum and hands-on facilitation.
Mission Connection: Builds environmental awareness, stewardship, and experiential science learning.
Keep Framingham Beautiful
Description: Keep Framingham Beautiful engages youth in community service and environmental stewardship projects that promote civic responsibility and pride. Through this partner-led collaboration, youth participate in cleanups, beautification efforts, and service-learning activities that connect personal responsibility to community impact.
Partner Contribution: Project coordination, civic engagement opportunities, and service leadership.
Mission Connection: Encourages civic engagement, community ownership, and environmental responsibility
Spoonfuls
Description: Spoonfuls partners with Hoops & Homework to address food insecurity through food recovery and redistribution efforts. As a partner-led initiative, Spoonfuls brings expertise in food systems and hunger relief, helping
connect surplus food to families and youth in need while raising awareness about food waste and equity.
Partner Contribution: Food recovery systems, logistics, and hunger relief expertise.
Mission Connection: Supports family stability and access to basic needs while promoting equity and sustainability.
MassHire Youth Connections – Metro South/West Workforce Board
Description: MassHire Youth Connections, administered through the Metro South/West Workforce Board, is a regional workforce development partnership focused on improving employment outcomes for young people. Through this partner-led collaboration, youth gain access to paid work experiences, career exploration, and workforce readiness supports connected to publicly funded initiatives such as YouthWorks. The partnership links Hoops & Homework participants to employer
networks, workforce systems, and career pathways while supporting skill development and successful transitions from education to employment.
Partner Contribution: Workforce coordination, employer connections, and access to paid youth employment initiatives.
Mission Connection: Advances economic mobility and equitable access to opportunity by connecting youth to meaningful employment experiences and career pathways.
Framingham Public Schools
Description: Framingham Public Schools is a core public-sector partner supporting Hoops & Homework through year- round collaboration in academic programming, shared facilities, and student-centered initiatives. The partnership includes coordination around reading and literacy programs, alignment with school-day learning goals, and collaboration on activities and initiatives throughout the year. Access to school facilities allows Hoops & Homework to deliver safe, neighborhood- based programming while maintaining strong connections between school and out-of-school learning.
Partner Contribution: Academic alignment, literacy collaboration, facilities access, and school-based coordination.
Mission Connection: Strengthens academic success and equity by extending learning beyond the school day through strong school–community partnership.
Integral Steps / Music Lessons
Description: Integral Steps / Music Lessons is a partner-led arts education collaboration that provides youth with structured
music instruction and opportunities for creative expression. Through guided lessons and hands-on practice, participants are introduced to musical fundamentals, rhythm, and performance while developing focus, confidence, and discipline. The program supports cultural enrichment and creative exploration, allowing youth to engage with music as both an expressive outlet and a learning tool.
Partner Contribution: Music instruction, curriculum, and arts facilitation led by trained teaching artists.
Mission Connection: Expands creative expression and cultural enrichment while supporting confidence, focus, and whole-
child development.
Dance Program (Various Partners)
Description: The Dance Program is a partner-led movement and arts initiative that supports physical expression, confidence, and wellness through structured dance instruction. Youth engage in age-appropriate movement activities that emphasize creativity, coordination, teamwork, and self-expression. The program creates an inclusive space where participants can explore movement while building physical health and positive self-identity.
Partner Contribution: Dance instruction, choreography, and movement-based facilitation.
Mission Connection: Builds confidence, physical wellness, and self-expression through creative movement.
Framingham Historical Society
Description: The Framingham Historical Society partners with Hoops & Homework to provide youth with local history and
cultural education experiences that connect learning to community identity. Through interactive presentations, site-based learning, and hands-on activities, youth explore Framingham’s history, traditions, and civic story while strengthening curiosity and historical awareness.
Partner Contribution: Historical expertise, educational programming, and cultural learning resources.
Mission Connection: Strengthens community identity and cultural understanding by connecting youth to local history and heritage.
Framingham Public Library Bookmobile
Description: The Framingham Public Library Bookmobile brings books and literacy resources directly to Hoops & Homework sites, increasing access to reading materials and encouraging literacy engagement. Through this partner-led service, youth can explore books, build reading habits, and develop a love of learning in a convenient, welcoming setting.
Partner Contribution: Mobile library services, literacy resources, and reading access.
Mission Connection: Promotes literacy, equitable access to learning resources, and lifelong reading habits.
Wellesley Village Church
Description: Wellesley Village Church is a community and faith-based partner that supports Hoops & Homework through collaboration, relationship-building, and shared commitment to youth and family well-being. The partnership strengthens community connection and creates opportunities for engagement that support safe, welcoming environments for youth programming.
Partner Contribution: Community support, relationship-building, and shared space or resources as applicable.
Mission Connection: Strengthens community collaboration and shared responsibility for youth success.
Chick-fil-A
Description: Chick-fil-A partners with Hoops & Homework to support youth and families through meal support and community engagement initiatives. This partnership helps supplement nutrition access while strengthening positive relationships between local businesses and community-based youth programming.
Partner Contribution: Meal support and community engagement resources.
Mission Connection: Supports family stability, nutrition access, and community connection.
Massachusetts Afterschool Alliance
Description: The Massachusetts Afterschool Alliance is a statewide advocacy and professional network that supports the quality, sustainability, and growth of afterschool and out-of-school time programs. Through this partnership, Hoops & Homework benefits from policy advocacy, professional development, research, and statewide collaboration that strengthens the broader afterschool ecosystem.
Partner Contribution: Advocacy, research, professional development, and statewide network support.
Mission Connection: Advances access to high-quality, sustainable afterschool programming across the Commonwealth.
The 84 Movement – Anti-Vaping Project
Description: The 84 Movement is a youth-led health education and media initiative designed to address vaping and tobacco use through peer-driven learning and creative expression. Centered on the idea that the majority of young people choose not to vape, the program empowers youth to research health impacts, analyze marketing tactics, and develop their own prevention messages. Participants engage in facilitated discussions, multimedia content creation, and community
awareness activities that amplify youth voice and encourage informed decision-making. By positioning young people as leaders and messengers, The 84 Movement builds confidence, critical thinking, and advocacy skills while promoting healthier choices among peers.
Partner Contribution: Youth leadership, peer-led research and messaging, multimedia content development, facilitated discussions, and community awareness activities supported through staff guidance and external health education resources as applicable.
Mission Connection: Promotes youth leadership, health literacy, and prevention by empowering young people to educate peers and advocate for healthy, informed decision-making.
Tasty Harvests Garden Project
Description: The Tasty Harvests Garden Project is a hands-on nutrition and environmental education initiative that introduces youth to gardening, food systems, and healthy eating through experiential learning. Participants engage in planting, maintaining, and harvesting gardens while learning about where food comes from, the role of nutrition in overall
health, and the environmental impact of food choices. The project integrates science, sustainability, and wellness concepts, helping youth build practical skills, responsibility, and appreciation for healthy foods. Gardening activities also provide opportunities for teamwork, reflection, and connection to community food access efforts.
Partner Contribution: Garden-based learning resources, nutrition and environmental education support, hands-on facilitation, and coordination of planting, harvesting, and food access connections through community and environmental partners.
Mission Connection: Supports healthy habits, environmental awareness, and experiential learning by connecting youth to food systems, sustainability, and nutrition education.
AccessTV Framingham
Description: AccessTV Framingham is the City of Framingham’s community media center and serves as a partner-led provider of media education and hands-on production experiences for Hoops & Homework youth. Through this partnership, AccessTV staff lead instruction and training in camera operation, audio, filming, editing, and media production fundamentals. Youth gain real-world experience by supporting the filming and production of community events and local programming, allowing them to apply technical skills in authentic production settings while building professionalism, teamwork, and confidence.
Partner Contribution: Professional media instruction, production training, access to equipment and studios, and opportunities for youth to participate in real-world event coverage and community media production.
Mission Connection: Expands youth voice, digital literacy, and workforce readiness by providing equitable access to professional media
instruction, hands-on training, and real-world production opportunities through a trusted community partner.
A Place to Turn
Description: A Place to Turn is a community-based organization dedicated to addressing food insecurity and improving access to healthy groceries for individuals and families across the MetroWest region. Through its partnership with Hoops & Homework, A Place to Turn brings food access directly into the neighborhood by supporting planned pop-up pantries and
community market-style distributions hosted at Hoops & Homework sites. This partner-led model reduces barriers related to transportation, cost, and access by offering families convenient, dignified opportunities to receive groceries close to home. In addition to food distribution, the partnership helps connect families to broader food resources and support services, strengthening household stability and well-being.
Partner Contribution: Food sourcing, pantry operations, logistics, and coordination of pop-up pantry and market-style grocery distributions.
Mission Connection: Supports family stability and equitable access to basic needs by addressing food insecurity, reducing barriers to healthy food access, and strengthening community-based support systems.