History

The Seacoast Community School has been an integral part of the area since its inception in December 1967. Our Mission is: To provide nurturing care and exceptional education for all children of the Seacoast.

Our school was founded entirely by local members of the community, assisted by the Community Action Program (CAP), now known as Rockingham Community Action. Efforts to establish the school were called “an outstanding example of Community Action” by Robert Scarponi, Executive Director of CAP and head of the center’s Board of Directors at the time. Large cash gifts were made anonymously, and the St. Francis Seminary in Rye teamed up with the board members to completely renovate the interior of the Newington Town Hall, where the school was first located. In the opening week, 24 children were enrolled at $1 per day per child, with free bus transportation included.

The school relocated several times until 1999, when we moved to our current address at the Community Campus, where our main offices and eleven early childhood education classrooms are housed. The Community Campus was designed to promote community collaboration and cooperation amongst nonprofit organizations serving the greater public good.

In keeping with the spirit of the Seacoast area, each of our early childhood classrooms has adopted the name of a sea creature. Our full day classrooms for children ages 8 weeks through 5 years are named Seahorse, Shrimp, Guppy, Periwinkle, Minnow, Rainbow Fish, Jellyfish, Clown Fish, Sea Otter, Stingray and Sea Turtle. Our preschool classroom for ages 3 to 5 located in the Gosling Meadows is named Dragonflies. Our half-day inclusive preschool classroom in collaboration with the Portsmouth School Department Special Education Department for children ages 3 to 5 is named Starfish, and is located at the Little Harbour elementary school. This link to our marine heritage has become a unique and proud distinction.

In 2014 we changed our name from Community Child Care Center of Portsmouth to Seacoast Community School.

We believe it is a privilege to care for children. Our dedicated team is passionate about combining their expert knowledge of child development with warmth and kindness to create a safe, supportive, and healthy environment where children and their families can thrive. Our chapters are written through the lives of thousands of children who have grown up in the Seacoast area, and our dedication to our mission has secured us a place in the hearts of families who have taken advantage of all that we have to offer.