METCO Family Friends Program

Families in Boston, Concord, and Carlisle have the opportunity to work together to build family friends relationships where the spirit is one of cooperating and sharing rather than of guest and host. By volunteering to be a METCO Family Friend, the Concord-Carlisle family helps to communicate information regarding school programs and schedules and is a familiar contact at school meetings and social events during the transition to a new community for a Boston family. Boston families provide the Concord-Carlisle family with a new link to the city and offer a diverse set of cultural and life experiences to share.

Relationships between families usually develop slowly, and the type and intensity of each varies from family to family. Some families plan joint outings, have students sleep over regularly in Boston, Concord, and Carlisle, or participate in sports teams or activities together. Other METCO Family Friends serve as emergency contacts and occasionally see each other at school or METCO-sponsored events. It is particularly important that students from both communities understand that as cooperating partners, they will be taking on an obligation of friendliness and helpfulness, not of mandated friendship. Hopefully, friendship develops, and cultural sensitivity is heightened through each unique relationship, but it is not a requirement.

If you have questions about METCO Family Friends in grades K-8, please contact Solange Benjamin at sbenjamin@concordps.org and Tanika Williams at tanikaw261@gmail.com

If you have questions about METCO Family Friends at CCHS, please contact Malinthi Fernando at mfernando@concordcarlisle.org

Application for Concord and Carlisle Families to participate in METCO Family Friends