Newton Early Childhood Program (NECP)

NECP is a preschool program run and administered by the City of Newton. It offers children who are at least 3 by August 31 up until Kindergarten an inclusive education, giving them the opportunity to learn with and from each other. Some 173 children were enrolled in NECP for the 2024-25 school year.

There were a total of 13 classrooms at the start of the 2024-25 school year, all of which are located at 687 Watertown Street, the previous Horace Mann School. The school moved into 687 Watertown Street in January, 2023. After converting the building to completely electric heating and cooling, NECP became the first net zero carbon emission school in Newton.

The building is situated on the corner of Watertown Street and a pretty stretch of Albermarle Road where the Cheese Cake Brook runs through. There is ample outdoor play space for children at Albermarle Playground which abuts the school, and further down Albermarle Road, is Halloran Field and Sports Complex, a massive outdoor area with multiple soccer and baseball fields that the local youth sports teams practice and play on.

Some NECP classes are designed specifically for children with special needs who have been evaluated and have an IEP. The other classrooms are open to the general public.

The school day is dependent on which classroom a student is enrolled in. It can start at either 8:30 or 9 AM and end at 12:00, 1:30, 2:00 or 2:30 PM. In addition, all classrooms get out at Noon on Wednesday.

Each class is staffed with a Masters level teacher and two to four teacher assistants along with other specialists including language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and behavior therapists to name a few.

NECP serves approximately 200 children across the city.