Our History

Gale River Cooperative Preschool was founded in 2005 by a group of like-minded parents with the intention of offering a high-quality, play-based alternative to existing early childhood education programs in the area. Gale River was created to bridge the gap between home and school through the cooperative learning model. In 2005, Gale River opened its doors in its original location, overlooking Franconia Notch on the Fobes Farm property in Franconia, NH. In the fall of 2006, Gale River had the opportunity to move to a more permanent location at Ski Hearth Farm in Sugar Hill, NH. In the 13 years of exploring the fields and forests of Ski Hearth Farm, the program continued to strengthen and grow due to dedicated staff and invested families. Through increased time in nature, teachers observed the positive impacts on the development of the students and began a shift towards a more nature-based program. In 2020,  the school relocated to the property of Copper Cannon Camp in Bethlehem, NH.