Kimberly Vasquez of Gaithersburg is a student at Rachel Carson Elementary School whose parents speak very little English, she said. She is as fluent in English as most first-graders can be, but sometimes needs a little help in translation.

So on Tuesday evenings, Kimberly heads to an after-school program run by volunteers, teachers and school staff several miles from the Kentlands school.

About 25 students and, at times, their parents converge at the rental office at Governor Square apartments on Muddy Branch Road for homework help and to practice math, play word games and borrow books.

"They read out loud before you read to them," Kimberly said of teachers and volunteers.

Assistant Principal Cathy Schinn refers to the sessions as "happy hour."

The outreach at Governor Square began in 2008 after parents and staff discussed how to create an environment that would encourage families to participate in academic and after-school activities. Several parents related their own experiences growing up in immigrant families, which forced questions on how to better engage immigrant families at the school.

They decided to bring the tutoring program to Governor Square, Schinn said. The school's PTSA has contributed books and other materials to the program. The school bears no cost, Schinn said.

In addition, Gaithersburg city and Bar-T Inc. of Gaithersburg, the school's before- and after-childcare provider, have helped provide transportation to back-to-school nights and family functions, she said.

Marjory Belance of Greenbelt, property manager at Governor Square, allows the school to use the rental office and party room free, she said. The complex has a lot of children and "not a lot of places for them to play," she said. "The fact that they're willing to do this — I wish I had it where I live for my daughter." The Rachel Carson community has been very generous, Belance said.

The program includes more than the Tuesday evening sessions at Governor Square.

"This started as a way of developing relationships and it turned into this much bigger thing," Schinn said.

On Mondays and Thursdays, parents and Spanish-speaking volunteers gather at Rachel Carson to answer telephone calls from Spanish-speaking parents who have questions and concerns. "When I have moms or dads who can't interpret the homework, I translate for them," said volunteer Denise Perez, 53, of Germantown.

The program is unique, said Chris Cram, operations manager for the school system's Office of Communications & Family Outreach. He added that a number of county schools are developing their own programs to better connect with communities.

In addition, the Tuesday programs aren't just for Rachel Carson students.

Dina Flores, 30, sat on the floor Jan. 26 with daughter Brianna, 2, and played a game of "concentration" or "memory" with flash cards. Brianna's 7-year-old brother, Biro, is a first-grader at the school and spent time doing his homework and reading to other students.

"We taught her the last time and we're learning a game [where] she tries to match the words by the picture," said Flores, as Brianna matched cards depicting socks, bunnies and hats.

Across the way, Rodrigo Cornejo, 8, whose family moved to the United States from El Salvador when he was 5, carefully wrote out contractions and the words they replace, writing "they've" three times followed by "they have."

"I do homework and then if a friend needs help, I help," said Rodrigo, who added that he learned English at day care and is a second-grader at Jones Lane Elementary School in Gaithersburg.

Schinn told him: "As long as you bring your homework, you can come."