Fern & Feather Preschool at Felix Neck

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary offers a nature preschool in Edgartown for children ages 3 to 5. Felix Neck's Fern & Feather Preschool supports children's individual growth and innate curiosity through nature-based learning and discovery. 

Philosophy

Our pre-school draws on the inspiration of play-based, place- based, child -centered, anti-bias, and nature-based philosophies, to create our own unique emergent program. Fern & Feather provides a safe, supportive, natural learning environment that nurtures children’s innate curiosity, the need to explore, and the joy of discovery. Fern and Feather will support children to challenge their physical abilities, express themselves, build healthy bodies, discover, practice, and develop a relationship with the natural world.

Our Classroom

Fern and Feather’s indoor classroom is a beautiful barn with a playground. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary provides us with an additional 200-acres of landscape with woodlands, meadows, ponds, salt marshes, and beaches. This outdoor classroom offers limitless opportunities for exciting daily investigations, observations, and discoveries through the changing seasons.

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.

2025-2026 Preschool Year

Mass Audubon members enjoy benefits like free admission to wildlife sanctuaries, discounts on programs and shop items, and access to community programs like Fern and Feather Preschool. All families who have children enrolled are required to have a current Mass Audubon family membership level (or higher) by the start of the school year in September.  

Please note: Families provide lunch and snacks for their children each day. 

We offer an early drop off (8:30 AM) at an additional cost.

• Age: Children must be 3 to 5 years old. 
• Class Size: The class size is up to 10 students per day; the staff to child ratio is 1:5.
• Academic Year: The academic year runs from early September to early June. Vacations and holidays coincide with the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools calendar.

Enrollment

Enrollment is open to our returning students and siblings first. Spaces will then open to our waitlist families after the final in-person open house. To qualify, preschoolers must be 3 years old by September 1, 2025. 

If you are interested in our upcoming school year, please make sure you are on our waitlist. To add your name to the waitlist please email [email protected] with your child’s full name and date of birth.  

It is required that you attend an upcoming open house to be considered for enrollment in our 2025-2026 school year.

To enroll in the current school year, fill out our enrollment application
A staff member will be in touch regarding next steps.

More Information

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.