The Chilmark community got its first glimpse of the new Chilmark Preschool this week ahead of the start of the school year.
The school staff invited donors, government officials and community members to join them in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to celebrate the $4.6 million building project’s completion. This is the first time the school has had its own dedicated building.
The extra space will allow the school to have up to 38 children, including, for the first time, toddlers. There are 18 toddlers enrolled for the upcoming year, and the preschool is welcoming five new teachers as well, according to school officials.
The preschool program began in 2005 with the goal of providing affordable childcare and boosting enrollment at the Chilmark School. The nonprofit ran for 20 years out of a leased classroom at the elementary school.
The student populations at both the preschool and Chilmark School soared, and the organization began to work with the town to lease a space for its own building.
Chilmark voters approved the construction of a new preschool on town land at the annual town meeting in 2023. In June 2025, the new preschool broke ground.
“The preschool now has its own home, giving the last classroom back so the elementary school can meet the needs of its own growing population, and generations of Island children have had access to a magical essential education at the Chilmark Preschool,” Rebekah Thomson, a member of the Board of Friends of the Chilmark Preschool, said at the ceremony.
Deirdre Bohan, CEO of South Mountain Company, which constructed the building, reflected on what preschool is to children and their parents.
“Preschools are a world of their own…” she said. “It’s a vulnerable time for a parent, and it’s such a relief to have somebody who’s seen everything before, knows what’s important, knows what you can let go, and they’re even there to disentangle you in the mornings from your child. In our house, we used to call that the octopus moment.”
“That’s extra special to have that moment where you are creating for the next generation,” she continued. “We’re proud of our part in it.”
The cedar shingle building has two classrooms on opposite ends, as well as a kitchen and an office. The school has developmentally appropriate bathrooms and is all ready for its students with rugs, toys, whiteboards and tiny tables and chairs.
The first day of preschool is Sept. 8. There are 35 children currently enrolled.
This article appears in September 4, 2026.