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CAPS Program Provides Stability, Guidance When Home Life Becomes Unpredictable

"I feel I have to do everything in my power to help my mother. I have to help her to raise her other children in such a way that they will make better choices than she did. She didn't finish high school because she had me."

Pedro Hernandez, only 18 years old, is a self-described fatherly figure in his family. Pedro was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. with his mother ten years ago. He has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, 10 and 9 respectively. Partly because of the large age gap, he feels responsible for them.

A Chaotic Home Life Interferes With School

A fast learner, Pedro picked up English quickly and enjoyed school. It wasn't until he reached high school that his stellar academic performance began to wane. His chaotic home life was taking its toll. Either because of a change in jobs, or separation from a boyfriend or husband, Pedro's mother was forced to move the family around frequently. During his junior year of high school, Pedro's family was evicted from their apartment and lived in a homeless shelter for a short time. "It was a very dirty place. I felt like I was in jail," remembers Pedro.

After leaving the shelter, Pedro moved in with his uncle, while his mother and two younger siblings stayed with his grandmother. At this point, Pedro was motivated more than ever to help out his family financially. "I got a job at Bloomingdale's so I was just going to school and working. I would wake up late for school everyday because I was so tired. I ended up failing my math and environmental science classes because they were in the morning," says Pedro.

It was at this time that Pedro was first approached to join United Way's Community Achievement Project in the Schools (CAPS), a public/private partnership with The New York City Board of Education. He credits CAPS for helping him to manage his attendance and for providing him with much needed mentoring, guidance and stability. "CAPS motivates you to show up to school and do well in your classes by rewarding you when you do. Even though these are things you are supposed to do anyway, the program is just there to show you that, when you do something right, good things happen. Look at me, now I'm getting rewarded with a graduation ceremony," says Pedro with a big smile.

CAPS also helped Pedro to understand that doing well in school and going on to college were the best ways to help his mother and siblings. "When I graduate from college I will be able to get a good job and help for real; it won't be petty money and all of that." Pedro has been accepted at the State University of New York at New Paltz and looks forward to succeeding in business once he graduates.