In fall 2024, Cambridge launched the Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP), which offers free school-day, school-year preschool to all 4-year-olds and eligible 3-year-olds in the city. CPP was created using a $20 million allocation from the municipal budget in FY24. The FY25 budget included $34 million in funding for CPP across the city and school system budgets.
The expansion boosted the city’s early education capacity to approximately 1,000 slots for 4-year-olds and 300 for 3-year-olds. CPP partnered with existing licensed providers in Cambridge Public Schools, the Department of Human Service Programs, Head Start, and select private preschool and family child care providers, who agreed to use certain curricula. The city also created a one-stop information hub and application for all programs in the CPP.
Sources:
Cambridge Office of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Cambridge Preschool Program.
Jung, C. (2023, June 9). Inside the plan to expand universal pre-K in Cambridge. WBUR.
Lin, D. G., & Schwartz, E. T. (2024). No More Baby Steps: Cambridge Universal Pre-K Launches After 30-Year Effort. The Harvard Crimson.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings: High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
- But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.