Alewife Preschool
Address: 430 Rindge Ave, Suite 101
Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
King Open Preschool
Address: 101 Willow St.
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. Preschool
Address: 100 Putnam Ave.
Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Morse Preschool
Address: 40 Granite St.
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Windsor Preschool
Address: 119 Windsor St.
Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tobin Preschool
Address: 227 Vassal Lane
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Across all of our preschool locations, daily curriculum includes:
- Breakfast
- Morning outside time
- Circle time and small group activities
- Lunch
- Story / nap time
- Afterschool outside time
- Free choice activities
Our curriculum is aligned with the Department of Early Education and Care’s Guidelines for Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Experiences. Activities are designed to meet the needs of diverse ages and developmental levels. They are developed based on observation of the children's interests, and build, whenever possible, on encounters beyond the classroom.
- Cognitive development is stimulated by activities that encourage discovery, curiosity, and predictions.
- Activities develop a child’s body coordination, hand-eye coordination, expressive language, and listening skills.
- Art activities involve a variety of materials while music is presented with games, instruments and a growing repertoire of songs and rhymes.
Each child’s development is tracked using the COR Advantage (HighScope) assessment system. Assessment results are used to guide teachers in developing curriculum for specific children and for all students.
- The City of Cambridge subsidizes all DHSP Preschool classrooms to offer more affordable preschool options to Cambridge families.
- All families at or below 65% of HUD AMI (Area Median Income) receive full-day / full-year education and care for free.
- Families pay monthly tuition fees. Tuition rates are determined on a sliding scale based on household size and income.
- Through the Cambridge Preschool Program, the City covers the cost of the school-day / school-year portion of the day for 4-year-olds enrolled in DHSP Preschools whose household income is above 65% of HUD AMI.
Tuition rate charts are available under "Useful Documents and Resources."
No. When families enroll their child in a DHSP Preschool Program, their child must attend preschool full-time. Families also commit to paying their household's monthly tuition rate for the 12-month program.
Please only apply to DHSP Preschool Programs if you are interested in full-day, full-year preschool for your child.
Children enrolled in DHSP Preschools will need to enter the Cambridge Public Schools’ Kindergarten Lottery to determine their Kindergarten placement.
No. Consistent with the state’s Department of Early Education and Care licensure standards, 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds are not eligible to apply to DHSP afterschool programs. DHSP afterschool programs are licensed for school-aged children only and not for preschool-aged children.
If you need full-day or summer care for your preschooler, you will need to apply to preschool programs that offer extended hours and operate during the summer. DHSP Preschools and several community programs offer full-day, full-year care. You can learn more about these programs on CPP's website.
City of Cambridge employees and CPS employees who are not Cambridge residents are not eligible to apply. Only Cambridge residents with age-eligible children can apply to DHSP Preschool Programs through the Cambridge Preschool Program’s application.
If there are open seats at DHSP preschools after CPP placements have been made, there may be an opportunity for non-resident City of Cambridge employees to apply to our programs through a separate application process.