The Children’s Center

The Children’s Center a self-supporting program, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM or our half-day program 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, is a part of Harwich Ecumenical Council for the Homeless (HECH). HECH was founded in 1990 with the mission to provide affordable housing to families here on Cape Cod. After a few years, the members of HECH found that they were able to provide affordable housing, but many families could not work because they had young children at home that needed to be cared for. This made it so many HECH families were unable to become self-supporting which was one of the goals of their mission. The solution to this problem was to provide care for these young children. The Children’s Center began at The First Congregational Church in Harwich Center in 1993. The Church provided space for a small group of children and a few volunteers while the parents went to work. The Children’s Center has been providing high quality child care and education for Cape Cod families for over 30 years.

HECH quickly realized a greater need in the community and hired a full time teaching director and teacher in order for the program to grow and become recognized by the state as a certified childcare program. During this time, St. Peters Lutheran Church generously opened their doors and gave The Children’s Center a larger classroom and playground in order to allow growth and continue the mission. During this time The Children’s Center was able to provide care to 10 preschoolers (2.9 years-5 years old) a year.

From 2002-2005 The Children’s Center moved from St. Peters to The Unitarian Universalist Church in Brewster then to Stony Brook Elementary School in Brewster. Both locations were very generous and provided a safe, affordable location for our mission to continue while HECH searched for an appropriate, permanent location for The Children‘s Center.

In 2005, HECH provided our program with a wonderful, permanent facility on Sisson Road in Harwich Port. We now have 2 classrooms and provide care for 24 children that range from 2.9 years old to 5 years old. During COVID we are open 4 full-days a week, year round. We are licensed through The Department of Early Education and Care and our 5 staff members meet and exceed all state requirements. We are fortunate to have 6 volunteers from our local communities help in the classrooms. We also work with students from The Cape Cod Tech, Cape Cod Community College and Harwich High School.

Over the years, we have moved and grown, but our mission has remained the same. We feel fortunate to be able to work with so many children and families from our surrounding communities. We are proud to provide a high quality preschool/childcare experience to working families for the past 30 years.

Tuition costs are based on a sliding scale for income eligible families. To inquire or be placed on a wait list please fill out our contact form or give us a call at 508-432-0152.

The Children’s Center
115 Sisson Rd
Harwich Port, MA. 02646

Libby Arnold Stevens Scholarship for Working Families

With funds made available from the Libby Arnold Stevens Trust, HECH in conjunction with the Children’s Center, awards scholarships to families of children who attend The Children’s Center for emergency tuition assistance during a financial crisis. Please contact The Children’s Center at 508-432-0152 for more information.

The Children’s Center
115 Sisson Rd, Harwich Port
Massachusetts 02646
508-432-0152