Caregiver Council History

The Caregiver Council was created in response to feedback from Cambridge caregivers and families. Caregivers identified that they wanted more opportunities to inform decisions made by the Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) related to afterschool / Out-of-School Time processes, programs, and outreach strategies. DHSP deeply understands the need for a caregiver–centered, transparent, and collaborative process to inform decision making related to the City's Out-of-School Time and afterschool programs and processes. Partnership between DHSP staff and caregivers is also critical to defining how racial equity and economic justice come to life through DHSP’s work.

The first Caregiver Council was formed in 2023 and served through June 2024. The community-led Council represented a diverse group of Cambridge caregivers who participated in DHSP decision-making processes, attended community events, and conducted outreach to engage more Cambridge parents and caregivers - especially those who historically are underserved or experience barriers to access. Caregiver Council members are compensated for their time.  

If you have questions about the Caregiver Council for DHSP, please contact askdhsp@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-6200. 

Previous Caregiver Councils

2024-2025 Caregiver Council for DHSP

The 2024–2025 Caregiver Council focused on strengthening relationships and collaboration between underserved and under-resourced caregivers and DHSP. Building on the previous year’s work, this Council took a deeper dive into long-standing and complex systems issues that caused barriers to under-served families gaining equitable afterschool access. Caregivers shared their challenges, expressed a strong desire to understand the root causes, and used their lived experience and acquired knowledge to offer informed and actionable recommendations. Their advocacy focused on two areas where immediate change was needed and have tangible and meaningful impact on Cambridge families seeing DHSP afterschool: 

• Access and Communication in Special Education (Services)
• Access and Communication in Expansion of Afterschool Seats

Recommendations included:

• Strengthening family engagement by seeking out families and getting their feedback 
• Trust building with families
• Prioritizing caregiver voice and lived experience to create and improve programs, services, and policies
• Better collaboration between DHSP, CPSD, and other Cambridge departments
• Providing clear explanations about systemic barriers to afterschool and why policy decisions are made

2024-2025 Caregiver Council Members

• Khalida Griffin
• Vivian Pales Rodriguez
• Phil McKenna
• Marcos Santana
• Toyba Abdie
• Tamica McKinney
• Anne Saini
• Mark Goodridge
• Kate Benanti
• Rachel Grashaw

2023-2024 Caregiver Council

As the first Caregiver Council, our group of 14 caregivers began meeting with DHSP in November 2023. We worked together to improve and increase equitable access to the City’s afterschool programs.

As Council members, we attended community events, learned about different afterschool services, met with DHSP afterschool and Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) staff, and shared what we learned with other caregivers.

Our goals were to empower caregivers, share knowledge, and help DHSP understand the experiences of Cambridge families to shape after school policies and programs.

2023-2024 Caregiver Council Members:

Telesha Mervin
Kristala Smart
Phil McKenna
Joshua Preston
Anne Saini
Yin Zhou
Betsaida Vizcaino
Rayana Ferej
Khalida Griffin
Vanessa Bernard
Emie Michaud Weinstock
Rachel Grashow
Kate Benanti
Mark Goodridge