If you were searching for inexpensive, all-day childcare, you might not have known that the Somerville High School has an accredited center for children between 2 and 9 months and 5 years old.  

The Somerville Child Care Center, at Somerville High School, is the least expensive option in the city, said School Committee members at a Nov. 1 meeting. 

Paul Bockelman, the committee’s vice chair, said though the center isn’t part of the mission of the Somerville Public Schools it is a “great thing” to have and a “hidden gem.”

The center runs year-round. During the school year, it’s open Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The summer hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The center can accommodate up to 16 children in its classroom, said director Trisha Kennedy. The staff includes two full-time teachers, one part-time teacher and herself, Kennedy said.

During the day children read, do arts and crafts, go to the park and occasionally to the high school’s Center for Career and Technical Education, where students studying child development observe and play with the children.

Parents may apply to enroll their children in the center online anytime. The registration fee is $75. The daily cost of attending the center is $42, and the center accepts childcare vouchers.

They may also tour the center by calling 617-625-6600, ext. 6235.

The cost of childcare could increase

The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has recommended that the district increase the cost of care slightly so that the maintenance of the program is less of a financial burden to the city.

The committee discussed the possibility of raising the rate of daily care by a few dollars for families who only take their children to the center a couple days a week.  

If the district were to adopt the state’s suggestions, the yearly cost of sending a child to the center could increase between $1,000 and $1,300, the committee said.

The center opened in 1993, offering childcare to children of teachers, city workers and the public. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has accredited it.

Go to Somerville.k12.ma.us/childcare for more information about the Somerville Child Care Center.