Cambridge after-school programs top expansion goal but face staffing shortfall

CAMBRIDGE — May 1, 2024 — Cambridge committee hears after-school expansion exceeded goals but staffing and equity gaps remain. The Human Services and Veterans Affairs Committee met May 1 to review progress toward universal after-school programming, with Assistant Director Michelle Farnham reporting DHSP added 207 seats this year against a target of 170 and offered slots to more than 80 percent of lottery applicants, aided by a nearly $500,000 departmental investment and ARPA-funded seats for low-income children. Farnham disclosed that 26 children with special needs received lottery offers but cannot be enrolled due to a 41 percent deficit in inclusion staff, with the department employing 19 such specialists compared with a pre-pandemic average of 28 to 36. Public commenter Emi Michaud-Weinstock warned the council that "creating more without equity is essentially capitalism," while parent C.A. Webb described receiving no response to inquiries about a mid-year slot offer. The city's long-range expansion study, awarded in March to the WithinSite Group in partnership with the Agenda for Children, is expected to deliver a final report by February 2025.