Opening August 2026 at 2 Crane Park, Wilbraham
A curated start for your littlest learners.
Wilbraham’s first purposefully small, full-day preschool, with an intentional balance of high-quality academics and child-led creative play, taught by licensed teachers from our own community.
- Purposefully small: 28 students, by design
- Licensed teachers from Wilbraham schools
- Full-day, with extended hours
- Play-based curriculum, academically grounded
You spoke. We listened.
You asked for more than a daycare.
You wanted a premium preschool with extended hours, a genuine play-based curriculum, and classes small enough that your child is truly known. That is exactly what we built.
The Little Ivy difference
The bridge to Wilbraham public schools.
Little Ivy is the foundation before kindergarten. Many of our teachers come from the Wilbraham school system, so your child walks into their first day of public school already prepared for it: confident, curious, and ready to belong.
Our approach
Structured academics. Child-led play. On purpose.
Academic Foundations
Early literacy, numeracy, and curiosity, age-appropriate and never rushed.
Creative, Child-Led Play
The play-based core, where children explore and lead.
Social-Emotional Growth
Confidence, kindness, and readiness for what comes next.
Our philosophy
Play is the real curriculum.
Our mission: a nurturing, safe, and engaging environment where young children develop confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning.
At Little Ivy, play isn’t a break from learning — it is how learning happens. When a child builds, sorts, paints, or talks their way through a game with a friend, they are practising the real work of school: focus, language, problem-solving, and persistence.
Our days hold both halves on purpose — structured time for early literacy and numeracy, and generous, unhurried space to follow a child’s own curiosity. Done well, each makes the other stronger.
What ties it together is attention. In a class capped at 28, a teacher can see what lights a particular child up, and build the day around it.
What we hold to
Six values, lived every day.
Let Them Be Little
We protect the wonder, imagination, and play of childhood, even as we nurture academic growth.
Nurturing Relationships
Strong bonds between children, teachers, and families are the foundation for learning.
Curiosity & Exploration
Children learn best through play, discovery, and hands-on, question-led experiences.
Kindness & Respect
We teach empathy, patience, and respect as children learn to grow together.
Confidence & Independence
Problem solving, decision making, and perseverance build real self-assurance.
Partnership with Families
Open communication and collaboration keep families at the center of each child's growth.
Purposefully small
28 seats. One founding class.
We are capping our first year at 28 children across our two classrooms — The Oaks and The Ivys — so every child is genuinely known. Seats for August 2026 are limited.
Reserve your child’s placeMeet our founder
A school built by Ms. Nicole.
Little Ivy was founded by Nicole Disa, who grew up in early childhood education — her mother ran a respected Massachusetts preschool for more than 25 years. Nicole began her career there, went on to lead a private kindergarten classroom, and served as Assistant Director.
She then spent years teaching kindergarten, first, and second grade right here in the Wilbraham public schools, so she knows exactly what children need to walk in confident on day one. She built Little Ivy to give that same start, with the play-based balance the early years deserve.
Ms. Nicole leads a team of fully licensed teachers, many from right here in Wilbraham — full bios to follow.
Notes for growing families
Good advice, rooted here.
Practical reading for parents of little learners — short, honest articles on the questions families ask us most.
Play-based learning, explained
What child-led play actually teaches, and why the best early learning looks a lot like fun.
Read more
Preschool vs. daycare: the difference
Both care for your child. Only one is built around a curriculum. Here is how to tell them apart.
Read more
Is your child ready for pre-K?
Readiness is less about letters and numbers than you might think. What to look for, and what to relax about.
Read more
The case for smaller classrooms
Why we capped Little Ivy at 28 students, and what a class small enough to truly know your child makes possible.
Read more
Big feelings at drop-off
A gentle, practical guide to first goodbyes — for children and for the grown-ups doing the waving.
Read more
Come and visit
See 2 Crane Park for yourself.
The best way to know whether a school is right for your child is to stand in it. Come walk the rooms, meet the space, and picture your littlest learner here. Founding-class tours begin soon.
2 Crane Park · Wilbraham, MA 01095
Schedule a TourThe founding class begins August 2026
Give your littlest learner a curated start.
Strong Roots. Bright Futures.
- 2 Crane Park, Wilbraham, MA 01095
- Opening August 2026 · 28 seats across two classrooms
- Tours and waitlist details will follow by email