Useful Documents & Resources
The Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) offers afterschool programs designed to develop children’s social and emotional growth and build healthy relationships. Childcare Afterschool programs and Community Schools afterschool programs are open to Junior Kindergarten through 5th graders. Youth Center / Cambridge Youth Programs (CYP) Pre-teen / Middle School Programs are open to 4th – 8th graders. The King Open Extended Day program is available to children who attend the King Open School. All DHSP afterschool programs are filled through a lottery process.
The deadline to apply to the 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery was May 26.Apply to the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery
If you have questions, contact DHSP at 617-349-6200 or askdhsp@cambridgema.gov .
2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery Updates
View the updated 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Lottery Data Dashboards (Aug. 31, 2023) . 76% of children who applied to the 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery received an offer and 90% of all offer placements were the applicant’s first choice. We do not expect significant movement from the waiting pool moving forward. We look forward to welcoming children who accepted their seats to our afterschool programs next week!
August 17, 2023 – We have created data dashboards to share data from the 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery. The dashboards provide an overview of the applicant pool, placements at each afterschool program site, and waiting pool offers through July 20, 2023. View the 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Lottery Data Dashboards (Aug.17, 2023) . As families have declined offered seats since that date, our Lottery Team has made seat offers to children in the waiting pool. We do not expect significant movement from the waiting pool moving forward, and we will provide updated data by the end of August.
While we still do not have the capacity to offer every applicant a seat at an afterschool program, we continue to work on expansion efforts. For the 2023-2024 school year, we added 170 seats to existing DHSP afterschool programs. As we committed in May, we have worked in conjunction with the Agenda for Children to support expanded capacity at community-based afterschool programs. There will be an additional 89 seats added across community programs this year as they expand their licenses and add new staff. The City will fund 65 of these seats for low-income families.
View more updates from the 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Lottery process (PDF) . Your Child’s Placement
If your child is offered a seat in a DHSP Afterschool Program (Childcare Afterschool, Community Schools, or Cambridge Youth Programs / Youth Centers), you will need to complete registration steps in order to accept their seat. You will register them for their afterschool program in Trax and upload income verification documents to your Viewpoint account. You will receive a letter through your Viewpoint account explaining how to complete these steps. Access step-by-step instructions (PDF).
Waiting Pool
DHSP maintains a waiting pool for each afterschool program site, and families who did not receive a placement offer on June 27 were added to the waiting pool of each of the sites that they indicated as a preference in their application. When a seat becomes available in an afterschool program, an applicant’s lottery number, priority status, grade level, and days of the week factor into offering the seat to the next child in the waiting pool. Families who were offered a seat in the first round of the lottery have until July 12 to accept or decline their seat. Following this deadline, DHSP staff will do another round of placements. Families in the waiting pool will be notified the first week of August about whether their child will be offered a seat at a program. After the next round of placements, DHSP staff will continue to maintain the waiting pool on a rolling basis.
Community Afterschool Resources
In addition to the DHSP Afterschool Programs, there are six afterschool programs in Cambridge that offer afterschool care five days a week. Please visit their websites for program and registration information: Agassiz Baldwin Community , Cambridge Community Center , Community Art Center , Dragon Fly Afterschool , East End House , Cambridge YMCA .
You can also find afterschool options and many other resources for families at www.finditcambridge.org .
The Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time (AFCOST) is also a great resource for out-of-school time and afterschool opportunities in Cambridge. AFCOST's 2023-2024 Afterschool Resource Guide will be posted on their website when available.
Caregiver Partnership
In response to feedback from Cambridge families, DHSP is working with caregivers to form a new community partnership that welcomes families into decision-making that impacts them. Learn more at www.cambridgema.gov/CaregiverPartnership .
Frequently Asked Questions
My child was offered a seat for less days of the week than I applied for. Will I be able offered additional days?
If seats become available at an afterschool program site, children who were offered less days of the week than they applied for will be placed for the remaining days before the seats are offered to a child in the waiting pool.
What has changed about the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery process?
In response to family and caregiver feedback, we made the following changes to our process this year:
Families can apply to three of our afterschool programs (Childcare Afterschool Programs, Community Schools afterschool programs, and Youth Center Pre-Teen / Middle School programs) through a single application.
Families whose child(ren) are currently enrolled in Childcare Afterschool Programs, Community Schools afterschool programs and Youth Center Pre-Teen / Middle School afterschool programs have the option to re-enroll their child(ren) at the same site and have a guaranteed seat in that site for 2023-2024.
If you are interested in re-enrolling your child(ren), you need to fill out a DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery application for each child in your household. Families will use the same application to apply for each child in their household .
If you wish to apply to a different afterschool program or site, your child(ren) will be entered into the lottery after you submit their application.
How does the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery work?
Children who are currently enrolled in a DHSP afterschool program can re-enroll at the same site by completing the application. Re-enrolling students will be guaranteed a seat at that site if they do not have any past due balances. If children are currently enrolled in a DHSP afterschool program and would like to enroll at a different site, they will not get a seat preference and will be re-entered into the lottery.
All applications that are received on time are assigned a random lottery number. Siblings are grouped together and share the same lottery number. The applications are then divided into 2 groups, priority applicants (from households with an income of 65% or less of HUD AMI) and general applicants. 30% of seats in each afterschool program are designated for priority applicants.
My child will be re-enrolling. Do I need to apply?
Yes, if you are interested in re-enrolling your child(ren), you need to fill out a DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery application for each child in your household. Families will use the same application to apply for each of their children. The deadline to apply for re-enrollment is June 2.
If you wish to apply to a different afterschool program or site, your child will be entered into the lottery.
What is the difference between each afterschool program?
Childcare Afterschool programs are open to children in Junior Kindergarten through 5th grade. Programs offer project-based learning curriculum that links to Cambridge Public Schools' learning goals. Care is provided 5 days a week from the end of the school day until 5:55 p.m. All classrooms are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). Childcare Afterschool programs accept DTA and EEC vouchers.
We also offer the King Open Extended Day Program, which is open to Cambridge children in Junior Kindergarten through 5th grade who are enrolled in the King Open School. The afterschool program is completely integrated into the King Open School to support children’s social and academic learning. View the program's webpage to learn more.
Can I apply for more than one child through the same application?
Yes, you can apply for up to 5 children who live in the same household through one application. Please use the same application to apply for each child in your household.
Does my child need to attend the same school for academic and afterschool programming?
No. However, DHSP does not provide transportation to afterschool sites. CPS provides transportation between schools and some sites. View the Transportation Chart for more information
If your child chooses to attend an afterschool site and CPS does not provide transportation between your child’s school and the afterschool site, you will be responsible for transporting your child to the afterschool program.
Is transportation provided between CPS and DHSP afterschool sites?
DHSP does not provide transportation to afterschool sites. CPS provides transportation between schools and some sites. View the Transportation Chart for more information
If your child chooses to attend an afterschool site and CPS does not provide transportation between your child’s school and the afterschool site, you will be responsible for transporting your child to the afterschool program.
Who are "Priority Applicants"?
Priority is based on household size and income. Applicants with a household income of 65% or less than HUD Area Median Income (AMI) are given priority in the lottery.
Is there a sibling preference for placements?
Yes, siblings are grouped together and share the same lottery number. When one child’s lottery number is selected and they are placed in at an afterschool site, their sibling(s) get preference to be placed at the same site (provided that the family indicated the same sites for all children).
Sibling placement depends on seat availability at each site for the sibling's age group and is not guaranteed.
How much does it cost to participate in DHSP afterschool programs?
Families pay tuition for an entire year of programming, broken into monthly payments.
Monthly tuition rates are based on household size, family income and the number of days your child(ren) will attend programming. View 2023-2024 DHSP Afterschool Programs Tuition Rates .
Do I need to provide income verification documents when I apply?
You do not need to provide income verification until your child is offered a seat at an afterschool program .
If your child is offered a seat, we will provide instructions for how to upload documents to your Viewpoint account. Families with a Gross Family Income below $315,500 will be asked to provide verification of income by uploading their documents (2022 Tax return and 4 consecutive pay stubs (or last 30 days) OR current award letters for any benefits you are receiving (TANF, SSI, SNAP, WIC, etc.). Families with income above $315,500 do not need to provide documentation because they will be paying the top tuition rate.