Preschool Program

Our preschool enjoys a low teacher-student ratio.

Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), The Elizabeth Peabody House’s Preschool Program focuses on the whole child. With a seasoned faculty, our program’s holistic approach in and outside the classroom is designed to stimulate the child intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially. The curriculum offers a host of learning opportunities, including field trips, guest speakers and a low student-teacher ratio. Another asset is its diverse student body whose families hail from around the globe. With the world getting ever-smaller in size and scope, our program offers children a world view that increasingly is vital to lifelong success.

The Elizabeth Peabody House takes great pride in its preschool curriculum. Close parent-teacher interaction is also at the heart of ensuring our preschoolers get the very best education we can provide.

 Register for Preschool Here

Afterschool Enrichment Program

Afterschool students complete homework before engaging in enrichment activities.

Enrichment is at the heart of The Elizabeth Peabody House’s Afterschool Program, whose curriculum complements classroom learning while also allowing kids to have fun. The Afterschool day begins with homework assistance, followed by enrichment activities designed to reinforce skills and knowledge learned in class. It also allows kids to be kids, giving them a chance to discover and explore their own talents through sports, arts & crafts and cultural activities. The aim is to develop strong interpersonal skills between students while bolstering self-confidence and an awareness of the world around them.

Register for After School Here

Summer Enrichment Program at Camp Gannett

Campers enjoy our 19-acre campus that is Camp Gannett.

Every summer The Elizabeth Peabody House transports more than 100 children from Greater Boston to its 21-acre lakefront campus 30 miles south of Boston.

Camp Gannett, as it is known, is situated on the south shore of Lake Massapoag in Sharon. The spring-fed lake, adjoining swamp, open fields and shaded pine forests all offer campers a host of activities, from swimming, fishing and boating, to field trips, nature walks and more. The theme-based curriculum provides campers a chance to explore, engage and enjoy the great outdoors in a way that also safeguards against summer learning loss.

Camp Gannett also hosts a number of field trips throughout the summer, as a way of enriching the lives of all of our campers.

Emergency Food Pantry

Fresh produce is among what's offered at the food pantry.

Children can’t learn on an empty stomach. For that reason, The Elizabeth Peabody House opened its Emergency Food Pantry in September 2009. Strong signs of food insecurity among our children served as the impetus. With limited food access becoming a communitywide concern, we opened our doors to Somerville residents in December 2009. Since then, with our partners and volunteers, we have managed to feed nearly 500 local families a year. The result has meant becoming the largest supplier of emergency food relief in Somerville, helping to fight hunger and end the cycle of poverty.

Community Outreach

Area seniors host regular gatherings at The Elizabeth Peabody House.

The Elizabeth Peabody House also serves other functions as well, such as an unofficial clearing house for families in search of support services we don’t provide. Clients are referred to more than 30 area social service agencies to help improve their lives. We also serve as a meeting place for area seniors, host community meetings and have been the venue for locally-produced stage productions and plays.

Among those who also use The Elizabeth Peabody House are area seniors. The venue serves as a gathering place to socialize and experience enrichment opportunities. The organization has also organized a night-time basketball league to engage area teens.  Plans are also being explored to reintroduce a video production and English as a second language classes.

Volunteer Opportunities

Hundreds of area volunteers lend a hand in the opening and closing of Camp Gannett.

The Elizabeth Peabody House offers interested volunteers a host of opportunities to engage and support our mission. It’s why corporations, non-profits and individuals give of their time to participate in service days at our Preschool, Afterschool, Camp and Food Pantry.

There are many companies who facilitate and have their employees perform service days on one of our two campuses. Those entities include State Street Global Advisors, Biogen Idec, Boston Mutual and many more. The success of employee service days include many players, as we cannot do it alone. Boston Cares has played no small role in their execution, and we thank them for it.

Nor has the scope of the work been limited to a fresh coat of paint. Many companies foot the bill of the supplies for the improvements to be made. In addition, many of their employees will come armed with a toolbox or chainsaw to help replace rotting floorboards at the camp, or prune low-hanging limbs. The generosity of these volunteers appears boundless.