What is the difference between each afterschool program?
View the
DHSP Afterschool Program Comparison Chart to compare our four afterschool program models.
How many days can I enroll my child in DHSP Afterschool Programs?
Families who apply and are accepted to DHSP's Childcare Afterschool programs must enroll their child for five days per week.
Families who apply to Community Schools, King Open Extended Day, or Cambridge Youth Programs' afterschool programs have the option of selecting 2, 3, or 5 days per week on their application.
Please note: families cannot customize the days of the week if they select 2 or 3 days on their application. Children who enroll in a program for 2 days per week must commit to Tuesdays and Thursdays and children who enroll in a program for 3 days per week must commit to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
To learn more about DHSP afterschool programs, view our comparison chart.
How do I re-enroll my child?
Children who are currently enrolled in a DHSP afterschool program can re-enroll in the same program and program location* for the next school year if they are still age-eligible for the program.
Families who are re-enrolling must complete and submit an application by the Afterschool Lottery application deadline.
Steps for re-enrolling when application is available*:
- On your application, answer "Yes" when asked if your child is currently enrolled in a DHSP afterschool program.
- In the dropdown menu that asks which program your child is enrolled in (DHSP Preschool program, DHSP Community School program, DHSP Childcare Afterschool program, DHSP King Open Extended program, DHSP Youth Center), select your child's program.
- Select "Yes" when asked if you are choosing to -re-enroll your child in the same program and location.
- In the "First Choice" dropdown, select the program location that your child is currently enrolled in as their First Choice. This will guarantee them a spot in the same program / location for the next school year.
- Complete and submit your application.
*The re-enrollment process is subject to change if afterschool program or location is discontinued
If you are interested in a different afterschool program or location for the next school year, you can select different programs or locations for your First, Second and Third choices. Your child will not be guaranteed a seat at these programs and will be entered into the lottery.
Can I apply for more than one child through the same application?
Yes, please use the same application to apply for each child in your household. You can apply for up to 5 children who live in the same household through one application.
Does my child need to attend the same school for academic and afterschool programming?
Children can apply to afterschool programs at different locations than the school they attend except for the following three programs:
- Children who apply to the King Open Extended Day afterschool program must be enrolled at the King Open School.
- Children who apply to the Fletcher-Maynard Academy Community School must be enrolled at Fletcher-Maynard Academy.
- Children who apply to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community School must be enrolled at the Martin Luther King, Jr. School.
Your child must arrive at their afterschool program at the program's start time or after.
Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) provides transportation between schools and some sites. Learn more about CPS transportation to DHSP afterschool programs. 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 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.
Families who pay full tuition for one child enrolled in a DHSP afterschool program will receive a 50% discount on tuition for any siblings enrolled. Discount is not applicable to 6th-8th graders enrolled in CYP’s afterschool programs who receive free tuition.
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 tuition charts.
Is transportation provided between CPS and DHSP afterschool sites?
Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) provides transportation between schools and some DHSP afterschool program sites. Bus transportation is drop-off only. Caregivers are responsible for picking their children up at the end of their program.
Whether CPS provides transportation to a DHSP afterschool program depends on the end time of your child’s school and the start time of the DHSP afterschool program. View an interactive map that shows where CPS provides transportation between schools and DHSP afterschool programs.
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.
Which applicants receive priority for the lottery?
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.
Can 4-year-olds apply to the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery?
No. Children must be entering Kindergarten in September to be eligible to apply.
Afterschool programs that are run by the Department of Human Service Programs operate consistent with the state’s Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) licensure standards. Prior to the launch of the Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP), Cambridge children who were 4.5 years of age and older were eligible to enroll in Junior Kindergarten and were considered school-aged by the state’s Department of Early Education and Care. With the implementation of CPP in the 2024-2025 school year, which replaces Junior Kindergarten, children who are 4.5 years old are no longer considered school-aged.
How does the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery work?
All applications that are received by the application deadline 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.
Children who are currently enrolled in a DHSP afterschool program can re-enroll at the same site by completing the application. Children who are re-enrolling will be guaranteed a seat at that site if they do not have any past due tuition 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.
What are the other afterschool options in Cambridge?
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.
The Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time (AFCOST) is a great resource for afterschool opportunities in Cambridge. Their Afterschool Resource Guide will be posted on their website when available.
You can also find afterschool options and many other resources for families at www.finditcambridge.org.