New SCS Preschool to Open in Portsmouth!

Seacoast Community School Preschool at the Meadows

 The Portsmouth Housing Authority, the Portsmouth Public Schools, and Seacoast Community School are pleased to announce the establishment of “The Preschool at the Meadows” located at The Gosling Meadows Recreation Center in Portsmouth.  Dedicated to early childhood education for ages 3-5, the school will be operated, staffed, and administered as a branch of Seacoast Community School, and will formally open its doors on January 7th, 2019.

The new school reflects the missions of the three institutions as the Housing Authority seeks to provide quality services to families in the Gosling Meadows neighborhood, the Portsmouth School Department seeks to ensure all families have the option to attend high quality preschool before entering Kindergarten, and the Seacoast Community School has provided “nurturing care and exceptional education” for children in the region for over 50 years.

The idea for the school came from meetings between the three organizations that started last spring and continued through the summer.  A special research committee formed by the school system in 2017 had identified the need for quality preschool for incoming Kindergartners in Portsmouth, and simultaneously the Housing Authority recognized that in its quest to improve quality of life for families in the Gosling Meadows neighborhood, a preschool within walking distance of the families would be a great help to the community.  Seacoast Community School saw this as an opportunity to fulfill its mission by opening a “licensed plus” early childhood education facility beyond its current programs at The Community Campus.

The school will primarily serve families in the Gosling Meadows community and surrounding neighborhoods with admissions preference given to those families in PHA housing, and other families in the broader SCS community as well.  Children ages 3-5 will experience an extended half-day program open from 7:30am-1:30pm Monday through Friday.  Highly experienced SCS teachers will deliver a curriculum emphasizing interpersonal skills, creative play, intellectual development, and physical activities.  The renovated facility located in the heart of the Gosling Meadows neighborhood will include new classrooms and play areas.  The school will offer 2, 3, and 5 day schedules each week with breakfast and lunch served each day at no extra charge.

Applications for admission are available now, and the process can be started by contacting Seacoast Community School at 603-422-8223.  Tuitions are competitive, billed weekly, and may be supplemented by New Hampshire childcare subsidies as well as scholarships provided by the school.  Families are encouraged to seek assistance when applying for subsidies and scholarships by contacting Admissions Director Jess Couture at 603-422-8223 x113.  For more information about Seacoast Community School please visit the website at www.seacoastcommunityschool.org.  In addition to public donations, organizations supporting SCS include The United Way, The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, The Lindsay Trust, and The Foundation for Seacoast Health.