Early Education
Somerville Public Schools’ Department of Early Education and Care provides equitable access to high-quality early learning experiences grounded in play, discovery, and child-centered instruction aligned with state and national standards.
We believe children are natural learners and that adults play a key role in creating environments that support their growth, identity, and full potential. Our approach emphasizes anti-bias practices to ensure all children and families are valued and supported.
The department oversees a mixed delivery system that includes public preschool, Head Start, and private childcare partnerships, connecting Somerville families to high-quality early education and care.
Somerville Public Schools offers tuition-free preschool programs designed to meet the needs of all young learners, including Prekindergarten, Sonrisa, the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP), and AIM classrooms.
Additional supports include fee-based afterschool programming, plus family engagement opportunities through the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative, which offers playgroups, parent supports, and kindergarten transition activities.
Somerville Public Schools offers free Pre-Kindergarten for a limited number of children at all SPS elementary schools except Brown School. Pre-Kindergarten serves four-year-old children in the year before Kindergarten, and enrollment is based on a lottery system. Children must be 4 years old by August 31.
The program runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Programs include free breakfast and lunch.
Visit our Enrollment page for more information.
Sonrisa is a bilingual prekindergarten classroom at the East Somerville Community School for four-year-old students from Spanish-speaking families. This heritage language program uses an 80/20 model, with 80% of instruction in Spanish—supporting foundational literacy in the home language—and 20% in English.
Students in Sonrisa affirm their cultural heritage while developing age-appropriate literacy and language skills in both Spanish and English.
Visit our Enrollment page for more information.
The Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) is an inclusive preschool program serving children with and without IEPs. It includes both integrated and substantially separate classrooms, with integrated classes serving up to 15 students and fewer than half identified with a disability. ECIP follows Somerville’s prekindergarten curriculum and uses a developmental, language-rich approach with individualized, small-group, and whole-group instruction.
Each classroom is led by a certified special education teacher and supported by a paraprofessional, with related services (speech, OT, PT, counseling) provided as needed based on IEPs. A school nurse is also available on site.
Integrated classrooms include community peers, typically three-year-old Somerville residents who are fully toilet trained and meet age requirements. Community peers benefit from an inclusive, language-rich environment that builds social skills, empathy, communication, and school readiness.
Families are encouraged to consider readiness factors such as social engagement, following directions, listening to short stories, and participating in age-appropriate play. Families may find it helpful to consider whether their child:
- Is generally understood by others outside the family
- engages in age-appropriate play, including sharing and turn-taking
- can listen to a short story (5–7 minutes)
- enjoys meeting new peers and trying new activities
- can follow simple directions and ask for help when needed
- is fully toilet trained
ECIP classes run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and on Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Students may participate in school breakfast and lunch on full days, and daily recess is provided indoors or outdoors depending on conditions.
For additional questions, please contact the Capuano Special Education Department Head, Siobhan Aberdale.
Visit our Enrollment page for more information.
Adapt, Include, Motivate (AIM) classrooms are at the Capuano Early Childhood Center for students needing specially designed instruction on the autism spectrum.
Somerville Community Schools offers optional afterschool programming for children ages 4 and older at preschool sites. This program runs until 5:30 p.m., is fee-based, and has limited availability through a separate enrollment process. Scholarships may be available.
View our After School pages for further details.