Fern & Feather Preschool at Felix Neck

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary offers a nature preschool in Edgartown for children ages 2.9 to 5. Felix Neck's Fern & Feather Preschool supports children's individual growth and innate curiosity through nature-based learning and discovery. Our program includes:

• Highly qualified teachers with backgrounds in early childhood and nature education.
• Nature-based, emergent curriculum that promotes literacy, math, science, art, music, self-help skills, physical development, communication skills, and social-emotional development.
• Beautiful classroom space in our Education & Camp Barn and outdoor play areas among woodlands, fields, seashores, and gardens on our 200-acre wildlife sanctuary.

Philosophy

At Fern & Feather Preschool, we believe that spending time in nature supports multiple developmental realms. Our students spend a substantial part of their day outdoors engaged in multi-sensory exploration and cooperative play.

We provide a safe, supportive learning environment that nurtures children’s innate curiosity, the need to explore, and the joy of discovery.

Our Classroom

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary's 200-acre landscape provides four-miles of trails through woodlands, meadows, ponds, salt marshes, and beaches. This outdoor classroom offers limitless opportunities for exciting daily investigations, observations, and discoveries through the changing seasons.

• Age: Children must be ages 2.9 to 5; all children must be at least 2.9 years old by September 1 to enroll.
• Class Size: The class size is 18 students per day; the staff to child ratio is 1:7.
• Academic Year: The academic year runs from early September to early June. Vacations and holidays coincide with the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools calendar.

Curriculum

Fern and Feather Preschool provides children with opportunities to explore the natural world through music, art, science, math, and literacy, while nurturing social emotional development. Children’s interests and investigations guide our curriculum over the course of the day, week, month, and seasons. 

Teachers work as researchers alongside students, carefully listening to their interests, assisting in defining their questions as a place to begin investigations and express their knowledge. Teachers provoke, co-construct, stimulate new thinking, and foster collaboration.

While nature and outdoor exploration comprise the majority of our curriculum, we will be introducing students to early learning and pre-academic skills. Our curriculum is guided by best practices in early childhood education and is rooted in the Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences, Developmentally Appropriate Practice (NAEYC) and Massachusetts Early Childhood Education Standards

Our Staff

Fern & Feather Preschool staff is certified by the Department of Early Education and Care and have years of experience teaching young children. They are certified in first aid and CPR and attend professional development classes annually as members of Mass Audubon's education team.

Enrollment

Fern & Feather Preschool offers our families a full-day program (9:00 am–3:00 pm), with the option of attending 2, 3, or 5 days per week. Please Note: Families provide lunch and snacks for their children each day.

Weekly Program Options

More Information

Spaces are available for the 2023-2024 school year. Interested in more information? Want to be added to our preschool waitlist? Email us or call us at 508-627-4850 with any questions you may have.