2026/27 MPS After School Update

Dear Medford Public Schools Families,

Throughout the school year, Medford Public Schools has been working with the BASEC (Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative) to review and provide feedback on our after school programming. We are thankful for their continued partnership, along with feedback and dialogue with the After School Task Force established last spring, as we work to expand programming opportunities and best support students and families. 

As we begin planning for the 2026/27 school year, we are excited to share that we expect to expand capacity at all our schools for next year. We do not know at this time how much capacity will increase. BASEC will be providing us with a report about our current After School structures, programming and recommended changes in mid-April, and we’ll use that feedback to shape our program operations (including tuition) for the 26/27 school year. 

This will be finalized by Monday, May 4.

Registration for the 2026/27 Afterschool Lottery will open on Wednesday, May 6 and will close on Monday, May 18. As in past years, we will run a Lottery, scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, for new and waitlisted families who wish to join our MPS After School program. We are excited that expanded capacity will mean more opportunities for families to join the program through the lottery. 

An Informational Session explaining 2026/27 MPS After School, including operational changes, program registration & the lottery process, will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 5. This meeting will be recorded.  

Families currently in the program will not need to re-register or sign up for the lottery; you will receive an email in late April from MPS After School to confirm if you want to stay in the program. Responses regarding re-enrollment will be due by Tuesday, May 12.

Additionally, families currently in MPS After School who have a rising Kindergarten student will still have the opportunity to enroll their incoming Kindergartener in the program for the 2026/27 school year before the lottery takes place. 

Finally, the district will continue to offer afternoon transportation services to community after school programs in Medford during the 2026/27 school year. For a full list of information on our after school community partners, please visit here.  

We are thrilled to be offering expanded programming opportunities for families next year and understand there will be questions surrounding these new changes. We will share these details, (including the registration and lottery process) once they are finalized, but wanted to send this email to communicate the spring schedule as it relates to 26/27 MPS Afterschool programming. 

• Monday, March 16: Incoming Kindergarten after school interest survey 
• Week of April 13: MPS receives & reviews BASEC report about MPS After School
• Week of April 27: Current families receive re-enrollment email from MPS After School
• Monday, May 4: 26/27 MPS After School program operations and tuition finalized
• Tuesday, May 5: 26/27 MPS After School Information Session on Zoom
• Wednesday, May 6: Registration for MPS After School lottery will open
• Tuesday, May 12: Re-enrollment deadline for current MPS After School families
• Monday Night, May 18: Registration for MPS After School lottery will close
• Tuesday, May 19: MPS After School Lottery will be run & results will be shared to MPS After School website via LASID numbers  

Sincerely,

Dr. Suzanne B Galusi, Superintendent of Schools

Will Pipicelli, Communications Director for Medford Public Schools