John F. Kennedy Family Service Center, Inc.

23 Moulton St., Charlestown, MA 02129

The Kennedy Center began providing early education and childcare services in the early 1960s with a small number of children, and today offers early education, childcare, and after school services to just under 200 children per day in its education program.

The Kennedy Center believes in the importance of developing, inspiring, and growing young minds to their fullest capacity. The Board of Directors and staff are dedicated to providing the highest quality early education, childcare, and educationally based after school programs.

The Kennedy Center specializes in child-centered early education that inspires children’s learning and builds new skills that have a lasting impact. The developmental age-appropriate education offers the right combination of instructive play and academic focus. The curriculum includes daily integrated Math, Science, and Social Study Themes, Literacy instruction, predictable classroom routines, time tested instructional formats, progressive skill training modules, ongoing progress assessments, and effective parent-teacher communication. The educational service design provides the opportunity for every child to develop the skills needed to enter kindergarten fully prepared to succeed.

Kennedy Center Early Education programs are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Our UPK teaching team is diverse and includes teachers from many different parts of the world. In addition, Kennedy Center has a partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital - Institute of Health Professions in which nursing and medical students provide health and development screenings for our screenings, including speech therapy. Finally, local graduate students seeking a Masters in Social Work come to Kennedy Center to do extended internships in which they conduct (supervised) play therapy and other activities to support the development of Kennedy Center students who are in need of such services.

UPK Hours: 8:00 AM-2:30 PM

Before/After School Care: Limited availability; before-school care 7:30-8:30 AM; after-school care 3:30-5:30 PM

Uniform Policy: No

Language of Instruction: English

Community Partners: Massachusetts General Hospital - Institute of Health Professions, partner with local Master of Social Work programs for interns to conduct play therapy

Enrollment Coordinator: Will Moriarty, wmoriarty@kennedycenter.org, 617-241-8866 ext. 1339

Website: https://www.kennedycenter.org/early-education-services/