Testimonials of The Treehouse School
She is forward thinking in her approach to education, but grounded in her natural sensibility when caring for children.
Ms. Fichera is a true credit to her field. Her intelligent and nurturing approach coupled with her intuition make children feel at ease, confident and free to explore. Two consecutive years with Kristin has my son past much of his speech difficulties. He now feels confident in his ability to share his thoughts, ideas and interests openly. My son is the youngest of my five children. I have seen a great deal in the spectrum of education; Kristin Fichera has that special ”mix” that provides the security children need to strike out and feel confident. She celebrates the unique and nurtures individuality. I am grateful to have known Kristin and my son will go forth as a motivated and confident learner thanks to the years he has spent in her classroom.
- Tina Mastrocola - Hamilton, Massachusetts
You couldn't dream of a more magical place to go to school.
You couldn't dream of a more magical place to go to school. The Treehouse School is a place where children go to learn, play and discover. Through the Treehouse and the incomparable Miss Kristin, our 4 year old daughter has become a true citizen of the beautiful City of Portsmouth. This is a gift that will last her lifetime. I would highly recommend the Treehouse School to any family seeking a positively unique and adventurous education experience for their growing pre-schooler.
Taylor - Portsmouth, NH
It’s so special to me, knowing my daughter is getting some “city smarts”. This aspect of the school is one of my favorites, especially when I happen to catch a glimpse of the kids trotting down the street during my workday.
When I first enrolled my daughter at The Treehouse School, I thought two mornings a week would be plenty for her.
I was wrong.
She LOVES it, and we have now upped the days to 3 mornings a week, and I STILL don’t think it’s enough for her.
Kristin has truly made the school such a warm, welcoming, safe environment. Her patience with my daughter and all of the kids is immeasurable. She makes learning fun, while at the same time understanding the necessity of structure and routine for the kids and their ages.
They completely take advantage of all that downtown has to offer, going on many adventures. There are so many opportunities to learn in a different setting within walking distance, and they enjoy all of them. It’s so special to me, knowing my daughter is getting some “city smarts”, having spent a majority of my adult life living in big cities. This aspect of the school is one of my favorites, especially when I happen to catch a glimpse of the kids trotting down the street during my workday.
Taryn - Portsmouth, NH
Highly recommended, especially before it gets so popular that you will have to get on a waitlist years in advance.
Our son has attended The Treehouse School this year and has an absolutely amazing experience. Kristin runs a fantastic program, the kids learn and experience new and exciting things constantly, and the school itself is beautiful. We couldn’t ask for a better environment for our son. Highly recommended, especially before it gets so popular that you will have to get on a wait list years in advance.
Michael - Portsmouth, NH
Ms. Kristin is nurturing and encouraging and knows how to gently push my daughter to try new things without making her feel pressure. So happy we lucked into this school!
My daughter started here in September and looks forward to school each morning she goes. Ms. Kristin is great with the kids and really good at communicating with us about our daughter’s experiences. For us, it is most important that our daughter enjoy school, develop a love for learning, and grow socially - all of which treehouse emphasizes. Traditional curriculum was less important to us in looking for a school but we are glad that treehouse works this into the days. Our daughter feels proud that she can recognize letters and write some on her own and loves to tell me fun things she learned at school. (“Mom, did you know that...” is my favorite thing!) Also the location! Not only is it convenient, but the kids get to really explore Portsmouth and take advantage of all the great things the town has to offer. When we walk through town, my daughter will point out where they’ve been “look, it’s my music class” or “hey, did you know there are wreaths hanging there!” My daughter does half days, three days a week but I love that Ms Kristin is flexible in scheduling and invites my daughter to join on her off days if there is something interesting happening. We’ve run into the kids who stay the whole day in the afternoon on the playground and they always seem to be having a blast. Ms. Kristin is nurturing and encouraging and knows how to gently push my daughter to try new things without making her feel pressure. So happy we lucked into this school!
Andi - Portsmouth, NH
We have been incredibly impressed with the teaching philosophy, and curriculum. The owner combines the community into her studies, and the kids gain exposure into multiple facets beyond a traditional kindergarten.
Treehouse is a hidden gem in our historic town of Portsmouth, NH. Located in the heart of downtown, this magical place opened it's doors during the 2018 school year. We have been incredibly impressed with the teaching philosophy, and curriculum. The owner combines the community into her studies, and the kids gain exposure into multiple facets beyond a traditional kindergarten. To name a few the kids visit Prescott Park regularly, take part in ice skating lessons, attend music lessons at Seacoast Rep, and many other adventures.
We are very satisfied with the care, attention to detail, cleanliness, and enthusiasm. Highly recommend!
Kristen - Portsmouth, NH
If you have a young child and are looking for a super positive environment this is the place to go!
Love this Preschool!! Ms. Kristin, and Ms. Pam are such kind teachers. The school itself is clean, and cleverly decorated. I'm so thankful that it opened up at the time we were looking at schools. The kids get to explore our amazing little city, and experience things like music class or snack dates at some pretty amazing places around town. If you have a young child and are looking for a super positive environment this is the place to go!
Cori - Portsmouth, NH
Kristin has been a true role model for my daughter
"Kristin is a motivated, intelligent, dedicated, communicative educator. Her enthusiastic approach to teaching encourages and motivates her students to dig deeper and reach higher. She takes the time to get to know her students and their interests and incorporates those interests into the learning process. The joy this brought to my daughter and her classmates was immeasurable. We are so grateful for our time with Kristin - we will miss her more than we can say!"
- Jenn Broyles - Hamilton, Massachusetts
Kristin is an amazing teacher and I hold her in the highest regard
"Kristin is an amazing person and teacher and I hold her in the highest regard. She is intelligent, creative, thoughtful and fun and will be the teacher that my daughter and her classmates will always remember. My daughter was lucky enough to have Kristin as a teacher for two consecutive years and she has fostered intellectual and social growth within her classroom. Kristin’s approach to teaching motivates and encourages students both inside and outside of the classroom and this was evident during a recent soccer tournament where Kristin went out of her way to attend (as many of her students were on the same team) and this show of support was invaluable. We wish her luck and success with The Treehouse School and we will also miss her beyond measure!"
- Julie Dyer - Hamilton, Massachusetts
Ms. Fichera made learning fun and exciting
“My family is very excited that Ms. Fichera is opening a preschool as she is a very bright, caring, and nurturing influence on her students. Our daughter, a former student of Ms. Fichera, loved going to her classroom every day as Ms. Fichera made learning fun and exciting while teaching her students solid values and life skills. Ms. Fichera is also an extremely valuable resource to parents as they navigate the various stages of childhood development. We know she will build and maintain a program that will have a deep and lasting impact on her students.”
– Gina and Jay Powers - Boston, Massachusetts
She is our and our daughter's favorite teacher
“We had the great fortune of having Kristin Fichera as our daughter's kindergarten and first grade teacher. She is our and our daughter's favorite teacher of all time for many reasons. Because of Kristin, our daughter became an avid reader by the age of six. Kristin taught the children to escape into their "reading bubbles" and built up their stamina for quiet reading time. She also inspired great creativity and the love of writing in our child. It was just amazing to see how well all the children in the class were writing at such young ages. She also developed fun math games that turned the children into little math whizzes. The best thing about having Kristin as a teacher, was to see how much she cared for the children. She was always very affectionate and kind, but new how to show them right from wrong in a firm, but gentle manner. Any child who comes into contact with Kristin is lucky indeed, as was ours."
– Jay and Madeline Panwar - New York City
Kristin is charismatic, intelligent, and has a unique perspective
“It is with great pleasure to provide this letter of recommendation for Kristin Fichera as she pursues her dream of opening her preschool, The Treehouse School of Portsmouth. As a parent I thoroughly enjoyed having Kristin teach our then, first grade son. Benjamin's prior school (which he adored), had just closed. Kristin's warmth and compassionate nature, made the transition more than seamless as Benjamin thrived academically and socially, that year. Kristin is charismatic, intelligent, and has a unique perspective. Her commitment to her students well being, is what empowers her students. She is by far Benjamin's and our favorite teacher. After meeting Kristin you will feel the same way. We wish her all the best!”
– Margot Lillis - New York City
He loves school now and often wakes up on a Saturday asking to go to school.
“From the age of 2.5 months to the age of 4, my son was in a full time daycare facility whose primary purpose was to provide custodial type care. While there had been some time spent on cognitive skill development, it clearly was not the mission of the program.
When he joined Boston Children’s School at age 4, his maturity level, fine motor skills, interest in writing, art and creative play were not at the level I had expected. During the past year, we were fortunate to have Kristin as his teacherand it has been phenomenal to watch his development over the course of the school year. He loves school now and often wakes up on a Saturday asking to go to school. He is curious about art projects and is proud of a book he created, titled “Why I am Special”. His writing has improved dramatically under Kristin and he tells us that Kristin always reminds him to do his best work. He is full of information on the solar system and nutrition and loves to share his fun facts with most anyone he meets. He has favorite planets and can articulate why they are his favorites. He occasionally monitors our food choices because Ms. Kristin said we should try to eat more “green light” foods. He is very curious now about rocket ships, astronauts and thinks he would like to explore the moon some day. We have been excited just to see his excitement and increased confidence.
Kristin’s reminder to him to do your best work, her consistent approach with him, her individualized approach with all the children, her ability to foster independence, and create excitement about school have all been such a positive influence on our son and our family. Kristin is very even tempered, unimposing and always reassuring. As important, if not more so, is the fact that she genuinely cared about my son. She earned a degree of respect from a busy, four year old with a scattered attention span that allowed her to connect with him in a special way that others have not. He will be starting kindergarten soon in a new state, with new teachers and new friends. We are absolutely confident that he is now prepared, both academically and socially, to thrive in this new environment largely because of the role Kristin has played in his life at a critical time.”
– Kim Thorton - Boston, MA
We are very grateful of Kristin’s work with our son
“My son was very apprehensive when he entered First Grade. His previous school had closed and he was separated from his friends. He had to get used to a new school and new friends all over again.
We were very lucky to have Kristin as his first grade teacher. She immediately made him feel that he was part of the fabric of the school while at the same time teaching him the important topics that first graders needed to learn. In no time, he was up early in the morning rushing to get to school to see his new teacher and his new friends. My wife and I personally saw through our son the enthusiasm, caring and support that Kristin brought to the classroom to imbue in our son the love of learning. First grade is a place where you continue to build a foundation in the child to prepare him for the more difficult topics to come in the higher grades. We are very grateful of Kristin’s work with our son that made that foundation more solid.”
– Osmond and Dilek Arpad - New York City