Facilities

Classrooms

Our classrooms are clean, safe, bright, and allow children to confidently explore their environment. From glitter and glue to props for imaginative role play, and exersaucers to balance beams, The Fessenden Children’s Center is chock-full of educational materials. Classrooms have sensory tables, puzzles, blocks, open-art materials, dramatic play sets, puppets, and musical instruments, just to name a few. With the guidance of teachers, these materials all play an important role in a child’s exposure to the world around them.

The “baby room” is enclosed to provide infants with a separate, quiet space to enjoy tummy time and, eventually, to crawl, scoot, and walk. In our toddler and preschool classrooms, children benefit from our open concept design, which exposes them to a new world of social-emotional learning and growth. They are in the center of the action and they learn through active, hands-on exploration. In addition to skybox views of the Fessenden Ice Rink, each of our classrooms have large windows which provide lots of natural light (and constant opportunities for observation of the outside world).

Natural Playground

Our new natural playground was designed specifically for young learners to discover the power and boundlessness of their own imaginations. With a thoughtful combination of nature-inspired moveable parts, sandboxes, raised garden beds, and safe space to run, opportunities for learning, playing, and gross motor development are plentiful. Whether zipping down the slide, painting on easels, making music on our natural wood xylophone, or picking fresh tomatoes from the garden, play and creativity are encouraged year round. In this space, children make believe, design their own games, connect with nature, and allow their imaginations to run wild. Enclosed hard courts are just a stone’s throw from our playground and we often ride scooters and bikes or play other outdoor games on the smooth surface to promote physical and mental activity, which increases learning development and happiness.

Fessenden Campus

We believe that surrounding growing learners with older students has impactful, lasting benefits. Being a part of the wider Fessenden community allows us to increase developmental and spacial awareness and immerse young learners in an educational environment. We visit the library each week to expand our imaginations and check out books; the playing fields and spacious gyms to increase movement and physical activity; and the chicken coop to learn about nature and animals. And, with various campus renovations and updates, children are sometimes able to set aside the toy backhoe and watch real life construction projects materialize before their eyes! Whether we’re exploring the larger campus or welcoming our ninth grade “guest readers” to circle time, Fessenden students and faculty always greet us with smiles and high fives.

As a working mom, it is so comforting to see the genuine joy and enthusiasm my daughter has for school. It gives me peace of mind knowing how much fun she is having, and how thoroughly she is being cared for.