Fern and Feather Preschool Five-Day Option

Mission Statement

Fern and Feather Preschool is located at Mass Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown. Mass Audubon is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the nature of Massachusetts for people and for wildlife. Its mission is to serve as a leader and a catalyst for conservation, by acting directly to protect the nature of Massachusetts and by stimulating individual and institutional action through conservation, education, and advocacy.

Felix Neck's Fern and Feather Preschool will support children's individual growth and innate curiosity through nature-based learning and discovery.

Program Philosophy

At Fern and Feather Preschool, we believe that spending time in nature will support multiple developmental realms and helps to develop a lifelong relationship with the outdoors. Children will spend a substantial part of their day outdoors engaged in multi-sensory exploration and cooperative play. We will 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 with spectacular views of the woodlands, meadows, ponds, saltmarshes, and barrier beach. This outdoor classroom offers limitless opportunities for exciting daily investigations, observations, and discoveries through the changing seasons. Our indoor space is a post and beam barn built in 2018.

General Description

• Age: Children will be 3-5 years old; all children must be 3 years old by September 1 to enroll.
• Class Size: The maximum class size is between 12-20 students; the staff to child ratio will be 1:7.
• Academic Year: The academic year will run from early September to early June; vacations and holidays will coincide with the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools calendar. Selected vacation weeks and summer programming will be available.