THE MAGIC LIVES IN…

OUR PHILOSOPHY

At Gale River Cooperative Preschool, we are deeply

committed to honoring the magic of childhood.

Enrollment

MESSY PLAY
Children are allowed to fully experience mud, rain, puddles, paint, and other messy materials.
EXPLORATION
Children are allowed to move freely within the structure of the environment, learning and discovering along the way.
COMMUNITY
Children are valued members of their classroom communities, working together, supporting one another, and resolving conflict.

Our Curriculum

Gale River offers an experiential and emergent program following the natural rhythm of our environment. With a focus on whole-child development, we recognize that feeling safe and connected is critical in order to learn. Following our hierarchy of learning, we strive to support students in the development of sensory, social, emotional, and executive functioning skills. This emphasis is reflected in our structure, schedule, environment, and explicit teaching. The elements of our day are thoughtfully designed to target academic, critical thinking, gross, and fine motor development through play-based learning.

Ms. Nicole

COOPERATIVE DIRECTOR/LEAD TEACHER
Nicole brings a great deal of experience and positive energy to her role as Gale River's Cooperative Director. She focuses on utilizing her team's strengths and creating a community among families at Gale River. Nicole prioritizes meeting her students where they are both acanemically and socially and helping them grow. Nicole is passionate about early childhood, the importance of play, children spending time in nature and creating a space where children feel safe and loved outside of their home.
Both a parent of two Gale River Preschool alumni, and the previous President of the Board, Nicole intimately knows and cares deeply about our school. Nicole has worked along side of her role at Gale River, as an Behavior Specialist through early intervention.
Nicole holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, a Nature-Based Educator Certificate from Antioch, has completed EC LETRS training, and is working toward a Masters in Experienced Education through Antioch University.
Nicole is NH DHHS ECE credentialed.
Ms. Crystal

ASSISTANT COOPERATIVE DIRECTOR/LEAD TEACHER
Crystal brings a deep appreciation for the magic of early childhood and a love for the Gale River experience to her role as Associate Director and Lead Teacher of the yurt classroom.
In 2005, Crystal joined a like minded group of families to found Gale River Cooperative School. She served on the GRCP board until becoming the lead teacher and eventually the director. She loves to empower children by fostering independence and creating rich exploratory environments. She looks forward to sharing the magic of play, connections to nature and community with children while incorporating the building blocks of numeracy and foundations of early literacy.
Following her time at Gale River, Crystal taught at Woodland Community School for three years. Crystal returned to Gale River in 2021.
Crystal studied education at Castleton University and early childhood education at WMCC, is EC LETRS trained as well as NH ECE credentialed.
Ms. Kelsey

LEAD TEACHER
Kesley is from the small, nearby town of Sugar Hill. She graduated from Profile High School in spring of 2020 and recently completed her BA in Psychology. Kesley will continue on to her masters in October focusing on Psychology and a certification in nutrition and wellness.
Kesley loves to learn and engage with the students and her colleagues. While she has worked with many children in our community during school events and in-family babysitting, it is through her time at Gale River that she found a passion working with children in the outdoors. Kesley offers a thoughtful and kind energy that the children naturally gravitate towards.
She loves to spend her free time baking, walking, exploring the outdoors, and enjoying time with family and friends.
Ms. Sophia

ASSISTANT TEACHER
Sophia was born and raised in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She enjoys skiing, hiking, kayaking, gardening and has an enduring love for nature. She is well adapted to nurturing children through play, art, and exploration. Her experience as a mother of two and as a community member makes her a valuable asset to the Gale River team. Sophia is our Enrichment Coordinator; leading hikes, tending the fires, and facilitating other outdoor adventures at Gale River for the 2023-2024 school year.
Sophia is taking courses through UNH to become credentialed in early education.
Ms. Felicia

ASSOCIATE TEACHER
Felicia has been with GRCP for one year and is able to enjoy spending her days with her daughter as she attends GRCP. Felicia’s enthusiasm for the great outdoors and her positive nature is a natural fit for GRCP.
She is originally from Falmouth Massachusetts. She moved to the North Country in 2013 after 4 years in Colorado. In 2016, she earned her Masters in Education and began teaching at Lin-Wood Elementary where she spent 5 years as a classroom teacher. In 2020 her daughter was born and has been enjoying her and our beautiful area ever since. She is thrilled to be continuing my career in education at GRCP.
She loves to spend her free time mountain biking, snowboarding and gardening.
Ms. Molly

ASSISTANT TEACHER
Molly is from the neighboring town from GRCP, Franconia. She attended Carolina Crapo, Lafayette Elementary School, and graduated from Profile High School in 2005. She continued her academics while skiing competitively at Colby-Sawyer College, earning a degree in Exercise Science. After coaching alpine ski racing for the past 15 years all over New England to many different age groups, she is excited to continue to share her love for the outdoors with the students and colleagues at GRCP.
In her free time, she loves to hike with her dog, cook new recipes, and have fun outdoors with her family and friends.
Molly is currently working to be credentialed through NH DHHS already completing 6 credits of coursework.

Daily Rhythm

Morning Invitations:

Morning Invitations is a time for students to explore a variety of activities designed to promote experimentation and discovery. During this time, students move about the classroom engaging with the dynamic offerings.

Morning Meeting:

Morning Meeting is a time for the classroom community to gather, develop a daily practice of mindfulness, and focus on early academic skills through games and songs.

Project:

Project is a time for students to engage with the weekly nature content. Activities target literacy, STEM, fine motor, gross motor, and nature exploration. The purpose is to develop critical thinking, cooperation, flexibility, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Outdoor Classroom:

Outdoor Classroom is a time for students to explore a variety of open-ended materials within the natural environment with a focus on discovery, gross motor development, and experimentation. Students move independently within the boundary of the space. This time provides students with opportunities to engage in self-directed, unstructured play and navigate social conflict with their peers.