At a Glance

Founded: Annual Budget:

1885 $9.7 million

Employees: Children and families served:
106 326 annually

Locations:

3 (Two in the South End and one in Jamaica Plain)

Service Model:

61% of families receive childcare subsidies from the government
39% of families have the means to pay full tuition
20% of children have open cases with the Department of Children and Families

Critical Partners:

Boston Public Schools
Neighborhood Villages
Department of Early Education and Care
Boston Community Pediatrics

Waitlist:

Beloved in the community, Ellis has a waitlist with over 1,300 children with no advertising.

About Ellis

Ellis strengthens Boston’s diverse working families by providing high-quality education and care for children. Our goal is to help all children develop the social, emotional, and academic skills they need to be successful in school and in life. Ellis stands out for being among the most socio-economically, racially, and culturally diverse organizations serving the children of Boston.

We engage over 326 children per year in full-time early education programming, with an emphasis on program excellence and diverse enrollment. Of our participants, 61% receive childcare subsidies from the government, and 65% are people of color.

Research on children from low-income households shows that compared with their peers, those who were enrolled in high-quality early education programs exhibit stronger early reading and math skills, significant gains in social-emotional skills, reduced rates of repeating grades, reduced need for social services, and increased likelihood of attending a four-year university. Research also shows that children who attend racially and socio-economically diverse schools build more empathy. At Ellis, all children thrive together.