Happy Valley School, Inc

For over 50 years, Happy Valley School has been a treasured part of the Peterborough community, a nonprofit preschool where children aged 2 to 5 begin their journey of learning, friendship, and discovery.

At Happy Valley, we believe that play is the foundation of deep learning. Our program embraces each child’s natural curiosity and creativity, helping them build confidence, empathy, and critical thinking skills in a warm and supportive environment. We foster respect for self and others while planting the seeds for a lifelong love of learning.

Our days are filled with wonder, joy, and the kind of magical moments that children and families remember forever. Some of our most beloved traditions include our Thanksgiving Feast, choosing our Christmas tree, Piñata Day, and candle making. Children still sing timeless songs like “My Roots Go Down,” “The Chickadee Song,” and “Purple Stew,” and build towering creations during Big Block play. These shared experiences build not only knowledge—but a strong, connected community.

While we honor these long-held traditions, we’ve also embraced new memories at our West Peterborough location, where we have happily been for the past four years.

Today, our greatest opportunity, and challenge, is growth.

Like many communities across New Hampshire, Peterborough is experiencing a growing need for high-quality childcare, while available spaces remain limited. Families are reaching out more than ever, and waitlists continue to grow. At Happy Valley, we want to say “yes” to more children and families, but our current space simply cannot accommodate the need. To truly support our community, we must grow.

We are working toward expanding into a larger space that will allow us to welcome more children, reduce waitlists, and provide access to the kind of nurturing, play-based early education that defines Happy Valley. This expansion is essential not only for our school’s future, but for the many families in our community who depend on reliable, high-quality childcare.

At the same time, like many small nonprofit schools, we face rising operating costs and limited state support. Tuition alone does not cover the full cost of providing the high- quality program our families rely on, making us more dependent than ever on fundraising and the generosity of our community.

Your support helps us:

 Offer tuition assistance so all families can access our program

 Maintain and enhance our indoor and outdoor learning environments

 Provide hands-on, enriching materials for play and discovery

 Retain our incredible, nurturing teachers

 Take critical steps toward expanding our space to serve more children

Every gift makes a difference. Whether you're an alum, a parent, a grandparent, or someone who believes in early childhood education, your donation helps ensure that Happy Valley continues to grow so more children can learn, laugh, and belong.

Thank you for helping us carry this legacy forward and build its future.

With gratitude,

The Staff, Students, and Board of Trustees of Happy Valley School