Preschool Overview

Somerville Public Schools offers three, free public preschool programs.

  1. Prekindergarten: The Somerville Public Schools offers free prekindergarten for a limited number of children at the Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center, Argenziano School, East Somerville Community School, West Somerville Neighborhood School, Kennedy School, Arthur D. Healey School, and Winter Hill Community Innovation School. Students must be 4 years old by August 31st. The prekindergarten program runs from 8:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
  2. Sonrisa bilingual prekindergarten program for Spanish heritage speakers: The Sonrisa program is a bilingual prekindergarten classroom located at the East Somerville Community School. The program serves four-year-old students from families who speak Spanish at home. In Sonrisa, all children will have the opportunity to affirm their cultural heritage while they develop age-appropriate literacy skills in Spanish and English. Children will receive 80% of their instruction in Spanish, focusing on foundational literacy, and 20% of their instruction in English. This program follows the same curriculum as other SPS prekindergarten classrooms. Spanish-speaking families may enroll their children in Sonrisa through the SPS enrollment portal. Watch a video about the program.
  3. Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP): Click here to learn about ECIP enrollment. Please note that ECIP enrollment is a fully separate process from our prekindergarten and Sonrisa enrollment process.

 

Enroll in Prekindergarten or Sonrisa

2026–2027 School Year Enrollment: Portal opens on January 2, 2026.

​2025–2026 (Current) School Year Enrollment: Enroll here. 

Who can enroll?

Somerville children who will be 4 years old by August 31 of the year they start school. 

Important dates: 2026–2027 enrollment

  • Learn about enrollment: PK Enrollment Information Sessions on November 12, 2025.
  • Learn about schools: PK–Grade 8 School Tours on December 9, 2025 and January 8 & 27, 2026.
  • Enroll online: January 2, 2025 and February 13, 2026. This is called the priority enrollment period and by enrolling before the deadline, you increase the chances your child will be able to attend your first choice school.
  • Find out your child's school assignment: letters sent to families during the week of March 9, 2026.

Need Assistance?

  • Enrollment assistance is available online, in-person, or by phone at the Enrollment Office. Families are encouraged to call ahead for an appointment to speak with multilingual staff. Appointments are available Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visit the Enrollment Office homepage to learn more.

 

Enroll in ECIP

This program not currently accepting applications. The Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) is an inclusive, multi-sensory program. The ECIP program is designed to meet the needs of children ages 3-5 that have been identified in need of specially designed instruction due to a disability. ECIP includes peer partners from the community. Students with and without disabilities benefit from this philosophy, as the classes provide a rich, language-based curriculum with a multisensory, developmental approach to teaching. Peers being considered for admission must be three years old, toilet trained, and will participate in age-appropriate developmental screening. Classrooms are located at the Capuano Early Education Center and the program hours are from 8:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, following the Somerville Public Schools calendar.  Visit the ECIP informational page to learn more. Students who are peer partners, are chosen through a blind lottery system.

AFTERSCHOOL at SPS 

Visit the Out of School Time (OST) After School page to learn about our in-house, tuition-based SPS after school program call Community Schools. The program serves students ages 4 and older. Enrollment is a separate enrollment process from preschool enrollment, administered by the OST Department. The program runs at all preschool sites until 5:30 p.m. Spaces are limited spaces and not all students who get a preschool spot will get an afterschool spot. Families must apply directly through OST and spots are assigned through a lottery system. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. 

SPS works closely with City of Somerville departments and partner early education providers to deliver early education and care to as many families as possible. Learn more on the Early Education and Care website.