Partnerships
Strengthening Our Communities through a Shared Commitment to Education
National Initiatives
STRIVE for 5
HMH and Too Small to Fail, in partnership with the National Head Start Association (NHSA) and the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) announced STRIVE for 5, a hands-on bilingual program designed to provide early educators with instant tools and ideas to promote children’s language development and improve the quality of early learning environments. The goal of STRIVE for 5 is to equip early educators with concrete resources to support the growth and development of young children from infancy to age five—along with hands-on materials and strategies to engage parents and families.
Created with educators in mind and available in both English and Spanish, STRIVE for 5 offers a variety of resources, including an Educator Guide, a series of videos featuring experts in the field of early education, a deck of colorful and engaging “Little Things Cards” with early literacy activities, and mini wall posters with age-appropriate activity suggestions on how educators can incorporate talking, reading and singing into everyday moments. To date, more than 1,000 early educators are participating in the program.
Visit www.strivefor5.com for access to all program materials, as well as engaging, interactive resources including journaling pages, instant tips, and a forum for discussion.
Curious World Tour
In the summer of 2016, HMH launched the inaugural Curious World Tour in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums and Ultimate Block Party. Featuring Curious George and other iconic HMH characters, Curious World Tour brings summer-learning, home-school connection, and playful learning to life through an experiential, interactive experience for kids and their families. The nine-market coast-to-coast tour made stops in New York City, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Curious George and the kickoff of the tour, HMH donated 75,000 books to education-focused nonprofit organizations across each of the markets. In our first summer, Curious World Tour engaged more than 20,000 children and their families in fun activities designed to inspire and encourage a hands-on, playful approach to learning.
Local Initiatives
Boston Celtics
HMH and the Boston Celtics continue to expand a partnership designed to improve learning outcomes throughout Boston Public Schools. As the main sponsor of the Celtics Read to Achieve program, HMH and the Boston Celtics strive to get Boston elementary school students reading on grade level before middle school by motivating and inspiring the students with monthly contests, school visits, player appearances, and school library book donations.
HMH and the Boston Celtics also partner on SCORE with Go Math! Academy, an online math resource for New England schools featuring fun basketball-themed content. The special series of math problems illustrates key math concepts using real world examples from the basketball court. Through SCORE students have an opportunity to interact with the platform and solve problems in order to help their school win a special experience with the Boston Celtics and an in-kind donation from HMH. SCORE with Go Math! Academy was recognized as a “community best practice” by the National Basketball Association’s community relations team.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
Over the past two years, HMH and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston have created a strong partnership rooted in a shared commitment to quality learning experiences. The partnership launched with a blend of cash and product donation to support the Clubs’ education-focused program areas. Since then, HMH has continued to invest in the Clubs’ education programming with both cash and product donations, including summer learning kits, children’s books, and other educational materials.
HMH has also partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston during our annual Volunteer Week. In 2015, more than 50 volunteers engaged with members in activities such as homework help, painting, music, basketball and kickball at the Jordan Club in Chelsea and the Green Street Club in Charlestown. At the Yawkey Club in Roxbury, volunteers spent the day beautifying the grounds and received a coveted "two thumbs-up" from the Club's maintenance manager. Thanks to the efforts of more than 100 HMH volunteers, in 2016 HMH was named the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Corporate Volunteer of the Year.
College Bound Dorchester
HMH and College Bound Dorchester launched a partnership in 2015 with a donation of college prep materials and math and social studies curriculum in support of College Bound’s College Connections program. After a ceiling collapse and subsequent flood destroyed many of the preschool classroom materials, HMH donated children’s books to restock the bookshelves.
HMH continues to invest in College Bound Dorchester’s College Connections and preschool programs through a blend of cash, in-kind donations of educational materials and books, and employee time. HMH volunteers and senior leaders have visited the College Bound Dorchester site for reading and book distribution events in the preschool classrooms, as well as for a day of service where activities ranged from cleaning and organizing the storage spaces to helping the students prepare for an upcoming theater performance.
City Year
HMH’s partnership with City Year, another organization with deep roots in the Boston community, continues to grow with the goal of transforming the lives of Boston youth through education. HMH supports City Year’s Extended Day programming through of blend of cash, in-kind book donations, and other educational product. City Year and HMH’s shared commitment to community service has been a key element of the partnership, demonstrated through HMH’s participation in the Thanksgiving Day of Service, a school mural-painting project at the Lilla Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester, and Red Jacket Weekend.
826 Boston
As a legacy partner of HMH, our partnership has evolved into a blend of cash, product and employee volunteerism investments over the past two years. HMH supports 826 Boston’s youth writing programs by sponsoring the annual “Night of 1,000 Stories” gala, donating children’s and young adult books to the writing centers, and connecting the students with some of HMH’s best-selling authors. Last year, HMH author Kwame Alexander, Newbery award-winning author of The Crossover, visited the 826 Boston Writers Room at the John D. O’Bryant High School in Roxbury, MA to share his journey as a writer with a class of ninth grade students.
HMH employees have volunteered their time and talents through afterschool tutoring sessions, storytelling and bookmaking activities, and 826 Boston’s annual College Essay Bootcamp, all-day one-on-one writing support workshop for hundreds of college-bound students from across Boston. Volunteers helped students brainstorm, draft, and revise their college application essays.