Historic, Beloved ‘Big Brown Barn School’ Marks 75 Years

The ‘Big Brown Barn School’ in South Natick, also known as Wellesley Cooperative Nursery School (WCNS), is marking its 75th anniversary this school year, Sept. 2020 to June 2021.

The pre-school is special for many reasons: one is that, since 1947, the school is located in an historic barn, which dates to 1824. At a time when the region’s historic structures are being torn down or lost to fire, as in March with the Natick Community Organic Farm’s 1815 barn, this ‘Big Brown Barn School’ is treasured by those who attend and by the wider community.

In addition, the school is known for its emergent curriculum, play-based learning, which helps children develop intellectually, emotionally, and socially, while they learn important life skills, and its strong sense of community.

It is the kind of school where older students and adults often return to visit and where parents, who were once students there, now send their own children.

Jean Gooch, WCNS’s 5th director, says she gets a response to her social media posts “just about every month from adult alumni across the country who attended the school.”

The pre-school program was founded in a Wellesley home in 1945 as a “baby-sitter group.” Parents soon decided to make the program into a full-scale nursery school. The school relocated briefly to Wellesley’s Sprague Elementary School before moving in 1947 to its present location.

A Strong Community

A parent from Natick with 20 years’ experience in education and a former student, Francesca Adelman has been a teacher at WCNS for the past year. Her son, Jax, is now enrolled.

“Some of my fondest first memories come from the ‘Big Brown Barn.’ Two of my older siblings attended WCNS. So, by the time I went, I knew it well. After preschool, a group of us went on to elementary school together. We would all take the school bus from there, our second home, and back, like a big family.”

Parent Julie Safaii lives in Sherborn with her husband David and their three children, Britta (4), Kitson (2) and Porter (8 months old). Her daughter Britta is the first to attend WCNS. “Kitson will attend in the fall, and Porter will follow when he is three,” Safaii said.

“WCNS’ play-based model of learning embraces what our children love to do the most,” Safaii said. “Britta comes home from school so happy. She is learning life skills that are shaping her into this wonderful little person, and I am grateful that this place and these teachers are the ones who will make her transition to kindergarten a smooth one.”

The Pandemic and Anniversary Plans

WCNS Director Gooch describes the effect the pandemic has had on the school and on its anniversary plans. “We are licensed by the state and follow all EEC (Mass. Department of Early Education and Care) guidelines. Our teachers were trained in all safety protocols,” she said. “It was a big adjustment at first, but our teachers have done a great job. We had no closures, and nothing but cooperation from the parents and the students.”

The school, before the pandemic, hoped to hold a celebration with current families and alumni, but it is now planning a birthday party for just students and staff. “The children created a tile mural as a gift for their beloved ‘Big Brown Barn School.’ We look forward to celebrating with more of our community in the future,” Gooch said.

Children from Natick and surrounding towns, including Wellesley, Dover, Sherborn, Needham, Medfield and Framingham, attend the school. For more information, visit www.thewellesleycoop.com, or contact info@thewellesleycoop.com or 508-653-0958.