About Us
Our Mission Statement
Small Friends on Nantucket seeks to enhance the quality of life for families and meet the needs of working parents by providing the highest quality early education and care for the children of Nantucket year-round. Toward this end, Small Friends on Nantucket provides children ages three months through five years with an early education and care environment with trained and nurturing professionals.
Our Philosophy
At Small Friends we strive to create a positive and nurturing environment, in which children feel secure and comfortable. We foster a positive self identity and sense of emotional well being in each child. We nurture the development of social skills, which we believe to be paramount to an individual’s success and happiness.
We encourage children to think, reason, question, and experiment. We believe the knowledge a child gains through hands-on active learning is the knowledge most likely to have meaning to the child and to remain with them. Teachers consistently strive to build on a child’s existing knowledge and guide the child through further thinking and exploration.
We facilitate language and literacy development, as we believe literacy to be the cornerstone of a quality education. We create a word rich environment for our youngest infants through emphasis on the spoken word in storytelling, song, and rhyme and move toward an environment rich with the written word for our preschool children.
We encourage creative expression and foster an appreciation for the arts. We believe early involvement with art, whether painting and drawing, or through music and movement, allow many young children the opportunity to best express themselves. We strive to model and promote sound health and safety practices. We facilitate physical development through the use of many types of indoor and outdoor equipment and a wide variety of activities.
At Small Friends children are grouped according to age and development. We offer four settings to accommodate the needs of individual children. Group placements are based on several factors including a child’s age, social and emotional development.
Board of Directors
Nickole Tara, President
Randi Herrick, Vice President
Sarah Holmes, Secretary
Allie Robbins, Treasurer
Elizabeth W. Winship, President Emeritus
Alexandra Cashion
Alana Macey
Rachel Mandle
Tucker McGrath
Erin Schrader
Meghan Tormay
Our Staff
Administration
Heidi Fee, Executive Director/Head of School
Heidi has been with Small Friends since 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Care from Fisher College and a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education from Worcester State University. She is Lead Teacher and Director II certified by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. Heidi is a Nantucket native and resides on island with her husband and three children.
hfee@smallfriendsnantucket.org or 508-228-6769
Jeff Coakley, Director of Development & Marketing
For 17 years Jeff was the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, two Boston-based award-winning newspapers. In 2019 Jeff moved full time to Nantucket and took on the role of Director of Development and Marketing for Egan Maritime Institue. He subsequently held the same role at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. Most recently, Jeff served as the Internal/External Communicatons Manager and the Public Information Office for Nantucket Cottage Hospital. In his free time Jeff enjoys disc golfing and traveling with his husband, Gregg.
jcoakley@smallfriendsnantucket.org or 508-228-6769
Nichole Olson, Executive Consultant
Nichole was raised in Central Massachusetts where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Worcester State University. Nichole has over 20 years of experience in childcare and the non-profit sector. Before joining us at Small Friends, she began as the Child Care Director at the Greendale Family Branch YMCA. Nichole went on to become that center's Senior Program Director, where she oversaw youth programming, summer camp, after-school programs, and childcare. Nichole began her role as Executive Consultant in July of 2024 after 5 years of acting as the Executive Director of Small Friends. Nichole has loved getting to know you and your children and is excited to continue working with our school.
Infants
Joanne McAveety, Minnow Teacher
Joanne has been with Small Friends since 1999. Joanne is originally from Belfast, Ireland where she attended the University of Ulster. Her daughters Katie and Amy Rose are both Small Friends alums. What do you love about teaching? “I love the babies because they are so much fun and it is great to watch them grow and learn. They are so smart and loving.” What do you like to do outside of Small Friends? “I like movies, going out to dinner, and traveling.”
Tiffany Caetano, Minnow Teacher
Tiffany joins Small Friends with over 5 years of experience working with children ages 3 months to 8 years. She has called Nantucket her home with her husband and infant son for the past 6 years. What do you love about teaching? “I love to see children learn and learn from them what they can teach us.” What do you like to do outside of Small Friends? “I enjoy going to the beach with my family.”
Young Toddlers
Natalia Torres Asprilla, Scallop Teacher
Natalia holds a certificate in social work from the National Council in Columbia. She has experience working with elementary aged children through adults in the field of social work. She enjoys traveling and listening to music.
Edni Garzon Clavijo, Scallop Teacher
Edni holds a certificate in Human Management. Edni has worked with toddler through school aged children as an nanny. Edni enjoys communicating and visiting with her family in Columbia and going to the beach.
Preschool
Jen Dunbar, Quahog Teacher
Jen has been with Small Friends since August 1992 when she began teaching at the Vesper Lane campus. She has worked with the pre-k group since September 1995. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Delaware. What do you love about teaching? “I love watching my students master skills throughout the year such as writing their names. I love singing with them. I love performing plays with them based on books that we love.” What do you like to do outside of Small Friends? “I love writing songs with my husband, Rob. I love doing sing-a-longs with him when I play the ukelele and he plays the guitar. I enjoy going for walks with our dog, Nutmeg.”
Clara Bartlett, Jellyfish Teacher
Clara has been with Small Friends since 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and Family Relations with studies in Individual and Family Studies and Education. What do you love about teaching? “I like being able to watch the children grow, and see their different personalities start to show. I love that moment when a child has been working so hard on something and then they can do it without help!” What do you like to do outside of Small Friends? “I enjoy mountain biking when I get the chance. I love to read, travel, and listen to live music.”
Sarah Lanctot, Jellyfish Teacher
Sarah has been with Small Friends since 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. She has worked in a number of different early childhood settings, including a Head Start program. Sarah provides a warm, nurturing environment for her class. What do you love about teaching? “I love the openness and curiosity of the students.” What do you like to do outside of Small Friends? “I enjoy hiking, reading, and going to the beach.”
Barynn Boucher, Jellyfish Teacher
Barynn is a certified Infant and Toddler teacher. She was born on Nantucket and has lived here her whole life. What do you love about teaching? “I enjoy sharing the natural beauty of our island with the children. I love getting on the children’s level and playing with them.” What do you like to do outside of Small Friends? “Outside of Small Friends I enjoy going for hikes and walking my dog.”
SaVaunnah Ancero-Allen,
Jellyfish Assistant Teacher
SaVaunnah has lived on Nantucket her whole life and is a graduate of Nantucket Public Schools. She holds a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification. She has been actively involved with children since the age of 11. Her experience has been with children ages infant and up.
Lishae Papley-Beckford, Teacher (Floater)
Lishae worked for Small Friends from 2019 to 2020 as an assistant floating teacher. She left her postion in July of 2020 to attend college off island. She recently graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Lishae enjoys baking, the beach, and reading in her free time.
Older Toddlers
Keily Hernandez, Starfish Teacher
Keily recently started working in early childhood education, and this will be her second year working with wonderful kids. She recently finished her first course to become a verified teachers' assistant and hopes to eventually continue her education by seeking an associate's degree in early childhood and development. Her son, Dylan, is a student at Small Friends. Keily loves working with kids and finds there is something wonderful about paving the way for them to learn and discover.
Licensing & Accreditation
Small Friends is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
Our Green Campus
Small Friends was the first LEED Gold Certified, newly constructed early education and care facility in the entire country. We moved into our home in 2008. LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs across all the environmental metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
Small Friends students are taught about respect for our air, water, and land through the building in which they spend their day. The Small Friends facility is built of rapidly renewing resources such as bamboo and linoleum and has low emitting materials, paint, and adhesives in its construction.
Transparency
Small Friends has earned the gold seal from GuideStar and Candid. Our gold level indicates a commitment to transparency in reporting financial, leadership, and mission information.
From The Director
Welcome to Small Friends!
I am thrilled to lead the Early Education Center serving the vibrant and diverse Nantucket community. This is an exciting time for your family, especially for your growing little one. Schools can teach many things. Our loving and knowledgeable staff work to plan the day, month, and year in accordance with the needs of your young child. The experiences at Small Friends encourage children to interact with the world around them, express themselves creatively, gain foundation academic skills, and communicate with each other. Families are essential partners in this work, and we provide numerous opportunities for families to be actively involved in their children’s education. We encourage parents, grandparents, and friends to join in classroom and school wide events or volunteer during the day. Please take a look around our website. For even more information, plan to come in for a school tour. We’d be happy to show you around, and we’d love to welcome your family to Small Friends!
If you are interested in enrolling your child or working at our school, please visit our Information page.
Warmly,
Heidi Fee