Tell us how the lottery went + Next steps
đĄ Why we're annoyed about the lack of info on pricing + transportation
Dear families,
đĽ Amanda and I have been fielding a lot of emails from families who didnât get an afterschool placement. Below youâll find what advice we have for those who still need a placement.
We also have some clarifications on đ transportation (itâs better than they say!) + đ¤ price below, which DHSP hasnât shared yet.
[1 Action Item]: Take our short lottery survey
đ¤ We want to understand where the placements went. Please help us!
Take our short survey: If you applied to DHSP afterschool for this fall, let us know how it went. (This quick survey will help us see how DHSP is allocating spots.)
Send us your FOIA request thoughts: Weâve asked DHSP a few times about placement and waiting pool numbers, but havenât heard back yet. Weâre likely to submit another FOIA request this summer. If you have suggestions on what data we should request, please let us know. (Our writeup of our 2022 FOIA request is here. DHSPâs responses are here.)
Any rumors? Confusion and lack of clarity continue to be problems. For example, we heard that DHSP preschool families who *didnât* apply to the DHSP lottery retained their âChildcareâ guaranteed status. But itâs impossible to know if this is true or just rumor. Please share any questions/rumors/facts like this that we can look into.
đď¸ Follow-up: As it did last year, the survey + FOIA data should provide a solid picture of how many placements are available at each afterschool location + your chances of getting in to each.
Feedback for DHSP
As we shared at the start of the lottery, you can now send DHSP feedback here.Â
Theyâve also recently added a âCaregiver Partnershipâ page, which says: â[W]e will establish a council of diverse Cambridge caregivers whose role will be to participate in DHSP decision-making processes and attend community events to continue learning from members of the community. Council members will be đ¤compensated for their time.â No word yet on when this might be or how to apply, though.
đ¤ Price + đ Transportation (from school to afterschool)
If you check DHSPâs FAQs, youâll see that they still have no word on pricing + still claim that thereâs not transportation provided to afterschools under 1-mile from the âhomeâ school. Weâve asked them to update these pieces, but not so far.
Cost:
DHSP says it is waiting for the 2023 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Area Median Income (AMI) classification before posting prices.
đĄ Weâre disappointed they didnât provide this by today, the deadline for accepting an afterschool placement.
FACT CHECK: You can get a sense for last yearâs cost by looking at the tables in our last post.
Transportation:
đĄ Sadly, weâve heard from several families who didnât know about CPS's updated transportation policy â and who would have chosen differently had they known.
DHSPâs transportation chart doesnât reflect the current CPS policy.
FACT CHECK: CPS will cover your childâs transportation! Here is the 5/16 School Committee policy order + CPS Superintendent also said so in a 5/15 email.
Youâve been waitlisted. Now what?
DHSP says 2,048 applied for 1,571 seats (not always full-time), a 77% acceptance rate that leaves 477 kids without spots at the moment.
Step 1: Get yourself on the waitlists of all the alternative afterschools that would work for you. The most comprehensive list is probably found at this link (from the Agenda for Children).
Step 2: Donât despair ⌠yet.
As we know from emailing, it seems almost everyone at DHSP is currently on đď¸vacation! We think theyâll start going through the waiting pool in a few weeks. DHSP says youâll know more by the first week of August.
Note: Today (W, 7/12) is the deadline for families offered a seat to accept or decline. So the next round of placements is coming. (Instructions for accepting a DHSP spot.)
[Unrelated to afterschool]
Finally, a reminder that Eugenia is running for Cambridge School Committee this November 7. Please check out her website www.VoteEugenia.com to learn more.
Subscribe to her CPS newsletter to be in the know on the school side of things (Top takeaways from Tuesdayâs Superintendent evaluation is coming this week) + fun community events.
For anyone not yet on this list, hereâs the link to subscribe for afterschool updates.
Thanks!
Eugenia Schraa & Amanda Beatty