Music and Drama
Children explore rhythm, movement, and creative expression through hands-on music and drama. They learn fundamentals like melody and notation while building confidence through storytelling, puppetry, and simple performances.
The Gardner School of Cambridge
Where Curiosity Finds a Home
Where Childhood Feels Joyful
At The Gardner School of Cambridge, children learn, play, and grow in a warm, thoughtfully designed environment made for city families. As one of our newest Boston-area schools, we offer a research-based curriculum, caring teachers, and a welcoming space where children feel safe, supported, and known. Located across from CambridgeSide, our school is easily accessible for families who live and work in the Cambridge and Boston urban core.
Purposeful Space Designed for Young Learners
Inside our intimate, well-planned classrooms, children explore hands-on activities, creative projects, and meaningful play that support early literacy, problem-solving, language development, and social-emotional growth. A combined playscape and enrichment studio makes the most of our cozy footprint, offering room for movement, exploration, and joyful learning. Classrooms filled with natural light and thoughtful details help children feel calm, comfortable, and ready to learn.
Now Welcoming Families Using Child Care Vouchers
We’re proud to support families by accepting tuition vouchers. Every child deserves access to high-quality early education, and we’re here to make that possible. Families can find us through the Massachusetts childcare search site and reach out directly to explore enrollment options.
Location
Inside this School
Learning
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Our research-based curriculum supports early literacy, math, problem-solving, creativity, and social-emotional development. Teachers lead hands-on lessons and purposeful play that build strong lifelong learning skills.
Safety & Health
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Families feel confident with two secure entry checkpoints, clean and cozy classrooms, and predictable routines that help children feel safe and supported. Healthy meals and snacks in the Kids’ Café nourish growing bodies and encourage positive mealtime habits. A private nursing room provides comfort for nursing parents.
Movement
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Children enjoy active play in our combined indoor playscape and enrichment studio, designed to maximize movement and exploration within our urban footprint. Daily activity helps children build strength, coordination, and energy.
Community
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Cambridge families value our real-time updates, warm teacher relationships, and strong links to the neighborhood. Family events, open communication, and a welcoming school culture help create lasting connections for parents and children alike.
Academically-Focused Programs
At The Gardner School, learning truly begins with care. Our infant classrooms provide a nurturing start built on a nationally recognized, research-based curriculum that supports early learning and development. With teachers who understand both the science and the soul of early education, babies grow in an environment that builds trust, curiosity, and confidence from the very beginning.
Toddlers are natural explorers, full of curiosity, movement, and new words waiting to bloom. At The Gardner School, our toddler classrooms nurture and celebrate this growing independence through play-based learning and intentional teaching. Each day builds confidence, language, and friendship in an environment that’s safe, structured, and full of joy. Our early childhood education program develops the whole child — encouraging physical coordination, emotional confidence, and early cognitive growth in every discovery.
Two-year-olds are bursting with curiosity and confidence. At The Gardner School, our classrooms encourage this new independence through hands-on learning, nurturing guidance, and joyful discovery. Teachers help children explore, experiment, and build social and self-help skills in a safe environment where learning and laughter go hand in hand. In this two-year-old early learning classroom, children begin to strengthen emotional regulation, independence, and empathy while exploring the world around them.
Preschoolers are natural problem-solvers and collaborators. At The Gardner School, our classrooms inspire curiosity, confidence, and creativity through hands-on learning and purposeful structure. Teachers guide children through new concepts in literacy, math, science, and art, helping them build independence, friendships, and a lifelong love of learning. Our preschool classrooms encourage critical thinking and pre-academic foundations that set the stage for kindergarten success.
Pre-K is a milestone year filled with confidence, curiosity, and preparation for what’s next. At The Gardner School, our teachers guide children through meaningful, play-based learning that builds academic readiness, social skills, and independence. With a curriculum designed around kindergarten preparation, students develop the focus, responsibility, and love of learning that will carry them into elementary school and beyond. Our Pre-K program helps children grow the attention, independence, and social skills they need to feel confident and ready for kindergarten.
Enrichment Programs
Sports
Active, structured classes help children build coordination, strength, and confidence. Through sports like soccer, basketball, gymnastics, and yoga, they practice teamwork, listening skills, and healthy movement habits.
Martial Arts
Martial arts introduce balance, discipline, and respectful movement in a safe, beginner-friendly format. Children learn basic stances and controlled motions that build focus, confidence, and body awareness.
Dance and Movement
Children build balance, coordination, and spatial awareness through beginner dance and creative movement. With simple steps, stretching, and expressive motion, they strengthen motor skills while growing confidence and joy in how their bodies move.
S.T.E.A.M.
Hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and math experiences spark curiosity and critical thinking. Through simple experiments and creative projects, children explore how things work and discover the joy of learning.
Foreign Language
Through songs, games, and simple vocabulary, children are introduced to the basics of a second language to enable basic conversational skills. Lessons built around familiar themes make learning fun, natural, and age-appropriate.
Seasonal Experiences
Children participate in seasonal, multi-week, or pop-up enrichment classes that may include cooking, gardening, or exciting seasonal activities. These experiences offer fresh ways to learn, create, and discover.
School Leadership
Eva Marks
Executive School Director
Eva Marks
Executive School Director
Eva finds her greatest joy in the sense of connection that fills The Gardner School of Cambridge each day. She loves seeing children walk through the door with bright smiles and excitement for what lies ahead. Those first moments of the morning, filled with cheerful greetings and quick check-ins, help create the warm and welcoming atmosphere she believes sets the tone for meaningful learning.
Michayla Ashley
Assistant Director
Michayla Ashley
Assistant Director
For Michayla, the best part of each day at The Gardner School of Cambridge is the connection she builds with children and families. She loves greeting them in the morning, sharing smiles, and hearing their stories. Those simple, joyful moments reflect the trust and comfort families feel within the school community, something she is proud to help nurture every day.
Schedule a Tour
Please select a date and time that works best for you (tours are ~45 minutes). We recommend visiting in the morning between 9:30 – 11:30 am. Of course, we completely understand that is not always possible with families’ schedules and welcome families to join whenever is most convenient for you. If you aren’t ready to tour yet or these times below don’t work for your family, use the Contact Us button below, and we will coordinate a time together.
Contact Us
If you aren’t yet ready to schedule a tour or the available times do not work for your family, please click Contact Us to connect with someone from The Gardner School.