Information From Boston Public Schools' Website
Early Childhood Education
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One of the cornerstones of Boston's reform agenda has been to provide all children with a strong and early start to their formal education.
In 1998, Boston opened three new early education centers, providing "surround care" to students ages 3 through 6, including those with and without disabilities. Since then, Boston Public Schools also has guaranteed a full-day kindergarten seat to every five-year-old in the city.
Under the leadership of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the City of Boston and the Boston Public Schools also partnered with numerous community-based organizations to launch Countdown to Kindergarten, to help families and students prepare for a successful transition to school.
In recent years, the district has expanded early childhood programs for four-year-olds, known as Kindergarten 1 or K1, with more than 2,000 “K1” seats now available, up from 700 seats just three years ago.
For even younger children, Boston offers several free parent-child play groupsfor children ages 1-3 and their caregivers. They are led by an early childhood educator and include time for free play, circle time, snack, and gross motor/sensory play.
Download a flier (in English and Spanish) about play groups in each of the following neighborhoods:
Thrive in Five is Boston's birth-to-five school readiness initiative. This comprehensive and inclusive strategic planning process is dedicated to strengthening Boston’s commitment to early care and education, improve the health of Boston's children and families, improve the quality of and family engagement in the public schools which young children enter, and much more.
For more information, contact the Early Childhood Education office.
