Website for Community Day Care, Lawrence, Massachusetts

Community Day Care began in 1969 as a small preschool with an enrollment of twenty children. As the students in this first class grew and thrived, the organization grew with them. Programs were expanded to meet the changing needs of these early students and the community at large.

In 1974 the Latchkey Kids’ Place After School Program was founded, providing care to children who had started school and needed care when school was not in session. Shortly thereafter, in 1975, Community Family Child Care was established, offering home-based care for infants, toddlers, and older children. The network of home care providers offered a small, nurturing setting for children.

Community Day Care began its Teen Parent Child Care Program, one of the first infant/toddler programs in the state to focus on the needs of teen parents and their children, in 1984. While mothers attended school, their babies were cared for in a safe, loving, and developmentally appropriate environment. Mothers were supported in developing parenting and life skills to help them create bright futures for their children.

In 1995 Community Day Care founded Community Day Charter Public School, one of the first and most successful charter schools in Massachusetts. The award-winning school was established to provide K-8 students with a rigorous academic education.

Today, Community Day Care programs serve children in infancy through 12 years in the Greater Lawrence area and are designed to deliver the skills and competencies that maximize children’s success in school. Programs operate year-round, Monday through Friday.

Community Day Care and Community Day Charter Public School are operated by The Community Group, which manages programs that create opportunities for children and families through education.