DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery

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 Kindergarten through 5^th graders. Cambridge Youth Programs (CYP) Pre-teen / Middle School Programs are open to 4^th – 8^th graders. The King Open Extended Day program is available to Kindergarten through 5th graders who attend the King Open School. All DHSP afterschool programs are filled through a lottery system.

Learn more at www.cambridgema.gov/AfterschoolPrograms.

2024-2025 DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery

The last day to apply / re-enroll in the 2024-2025 DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery was May 17. Applications received after May 17 will be automatically added to the Waiting Pool.If you would like to be added to the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery Waiting Pool, fill out an application here.

Notification of 2024-2025 Afterschool Placements

Update (June 20, 2024): Due to a technical error, some placement letters have been issued with missing information. Our team is working to re-issue letters with full information with 24 hours. If you do not receive an updated letter by Friday, June 21, please reach out to us at 617-349-6200 or askdhsp@cambridgema.gov.

The week of June 17, families who applied by the May 17 deadline will be notified of their child's placement in a DHSP afterschool program or in the Waiting Pool. Notifications will happen on a rolling basis through Friday, June 21.
You will receive an email from noreply@viewpointcloud.com with the subject line "City of Cambridge" at the email address you listed on your child's application.
The email will let you know that a letter has been issued to your viewpoint account. Log into your Viewpoint account to access the letter with your child's placement information.
If your child is offered a seat in a DHSP afterschool program for the 2024-2025 school year, you must accept or decline their seat within 2 weeks (see offer letter for instructions).
If you applied to the lottery before May 17 and you do not receive information about your child's placement by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 21, please email askdhsp@cambridgema.gov or call 617-349-6200.

Eligibility

Applicants must be Cambridge residents or children of City of Cambridge employees.
Children must be entering Kindergarten through 8th grade in September 2024

Tuition

View Estimated Monthly Tuition Rates. These rates will be updated when 2024 HUD income guidelines are released.
- Tuition for DHSP Afterschool Programs is based on household size and income. Tuition rates are calculated based on the Department of Housing and Development (HUD) federal income guidelines.
Tuition is free for 6-8th graders participating in CYP Pre-Teen / Middle School afterschool programs.

Transportation

DHSP does not provide or guarantee transportation to any of our afterschool sites; families and programs must refer to the Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) Transportation Department to determine if bus routes exist between schools and afterschool sites and if a child is eligible for bus transportation.
Not all programs and sites have transportation from every school. Additionally, because of the different end times of schools, some afterschool programs are not able to receive children if they arrive before their host school has ended.
CPS will work to accommodate students whose destination to an afterschool or public housing development is less than 1 mile if there are available seats on the bus. This is not a guarantee and can only be determined after bus routes and ridership is established at the end of August. (See CPS Afterschool Transportation guidance here)

Multilingual Help

Enrollment FAQ

My child was offered a seat at a DHSP afterschool program. How do I accept?

The Department of Human Service Programs uses an online registration system called TraxSolutions. You will need a Trax Online Account to accept your child's offer and enroll in a DHSP afterschool program. View step-by-step instructions: www.cambridgema.gov/TraxInstructions.

How can I confirm my child's enrollment was successful in Trax?

Log onto Trax through the link in your child's offer letter. In the "History" section under "My Account," review the enrollments. A successful enrollment will display 2 items for each child enrolled:

The Activity (icon of a person running) with the correct amount of days you accepted for your child (2 Days 3 Days, or 5 Days), the child's program (Childcare Afterschool, Community School, KOED or Cambridge Youth Program / Youth Center), and location of the program.
A DHSP Membership (head and should icon)

The "Pending" status is the activity status (not your child's enrollment status). This will change to "Active" closer to the start of the school year.

Example of a Successful Trax Enrollment

Below is a successful enrollment for a family with two children: Child 1 (Joshua) accepted 3 days at Cambridge Youth Programs' Frisoli Youth Center. Child 2 (Cinderella) accepted 5 Days at KOED, King Open School. There is an Activity and Membership listed correctly for both children.

Example of an Incorrect Trax Enrollment

Child 1 (Joshua) is successfully enrolled at Cambridge Youth Programs' Frisoli Youth Center for 3 days a week (note Activity and Membership icons). Child 2 (Cinderella) is missing the Activity. The KOED Activity needs to be added to the cart and check out process must be completed to enroll successfully.

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.

Lottery FAQ

What is the difference between each afterschool program?

Childcare Afterschool programs are open to children in 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.

Community Schools afterschool programs are open to Cambridge children in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Programming focuses on educational, cultural, social, and recreational enrichment opportunities. Activities range from cooking and arts to sports and STEAM-related fun. Families have the option of signing up for afterschool programming 2, 3, or 5 days a week.

Cambridge Youth Programs' Pre-Teen / Middle Schools Afterschool Programs are open to Cambridge youth who are pre-teens and middle schoolers in 4th – 8th grade. CYP programming promotes leadership and youth development through enrichment activities, unique experiences, and opportunities to develop relationships with adults and peers. Families have the option of signing up for afterschool programming 2, 3, or 5 days a week.

King Open Extended Day Program is open to Cambridge children in 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. Children must be students at the King Open School to apply to this program.

Learn more at www.cambridgema.gov/AfterschoolPrograms.

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.

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.

Can 4-year-olds apply to the DHSP Afterschool Programs Lottery?

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, which replaces Junior Kindergarten, children who are 4.5 years old are no longer considered school-aged by the state. Beginning with the 2024-2025 DHSP Afterschool Lottery, children must be entering Kindergarten in September to be eligible to apply.

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 2024-2025 school year by completing an application.

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 2024-2025 school year. Continue filling our your application.

For your child to re-enroll and be guaranteed a seat in the same program, you must complete and submit DHSP Afterschool Program Lottery application by Friday, May 17.

If you are interested in a different afterschool program or location for the 2024-2025 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, 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?

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.

DHSP does not provide transportation to afterschool sites. Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) provides transportation between schools and some sites. 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.

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.

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.

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.