Filtered Topic

Get to know Bridget Martin, Communications Director at the Department of Human Service Programs! Martin ensures what the department communicates is tailored to how people can best access information and is engaging to them. Learn more about Bridget in this article.

Efforts, Collaboration Continue to Expand Afterschool Options for Cambridge Families

The Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) is working to create a more equitable afterschool application and enrollment process while expanding access for Cambridge families. For the 2024-2025 school year, 1,486 students received an offer to a DHSP afterschool program, with 90% placed in their first choice, and a 7% increase in applicants from the income priority group. DHSP has also added 246 new seats across programs, launched an OST Expansion Study to support long-term growth, and continues to center caregiver perspectives through the Caregiver Council.

Most Read Books in Cambridge in 2024

In 2024, the Cambridge Public Library revealed the top 10 most borrowed books, with The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride leading the fiction category, while The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt topped nonfiction. The children's book Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder was the most popular among young readers. March saw the highest number of checkouts, contributing to a total of nearly 1.1 million books borrowed that year.

Summer Food Program Served 80,000+ Meals to Cambridge Youth

The Cambridge Summer Food Program ensures that youth ages 18 and younger have access to free, nutritious meals while school is out of session. In 2024, the program served over 80,000 meals at parks, sports leagues, summer camps, and community events across the city. Beyond meals, the program offers recreational activities and literacy support, including weekly visits from the Cambridge Book Bike, making summer a time for both nourishment and enrichment.

Behind the Scenes at Free Food & Summer Fun

The Annual Summer Food Program provides free breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals to Cambridge residents ages 18 and younger. Behind a summer of free food and fun is the critical mission to address food insecurity in Cambridge. And lots of logistics.

City staff hand out free at-home COVID-19 test kits.

Supporting Youth and Families, Seniors, & Veterans

Preschool, Childcare, and Afterschool programs, a part of the Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP), returned to in-person care and child-centered programming in September 2021.

Cambridge Community Learning Center Class

Educational Support and Workforce Development

The Birth to 3rd Grade Partnership (B3), continued its scholarship program for 3 and 4 year-olds from low-income families, adding two new programs to its menu of preschool options, and also increased its number of children accessing B3 scholarships by 13%.

Young Adult Diversion Program Offers Alternative to Criminal Prosecution

Diversion allows a young person the opportunity to complete an individually-tailored program in lieu of prosecution and may include conditions such as educational programs, counseling, community service, working with housing, letters of apology, and restitution.

Tobin Montessori Vassal Lane Upper Schools Image Courtesy of Perkins Eastman

Tobin Montessori and Vassal Lane Upper Schools Construction Underway

Located at 197 Vassal Lane, the new complex will house the Tobin Montessori School, Vassal Lane Upper Schools, the City’s Department of Human Services Programs preschool and after school programs, and Special Start.

How can we help?

Service Requests