When their daughter Macy was ready for preschool, Ginny and Nicole Perrine-Wilson wanted to ensure they found a place that would offer her  the same kind of diverse and progressive components that brought them to the Philadelphia area in the first place.

“As a same sex couple, raising an African American daughter, it was important for us to find a school that offered social, economic, and racial diversity; it needed to have an overall culture of acceptance,” remembers Nicole. “When we found Friends School Haverford we were immediately impressed by their kind, caring, and professional approach. We knew it was the place for Macy and our family.”

Founded in 1885, this nursery through grade eight school in Haverford is guided by Quaker principles. The atmosphere is welcoming, and students are encouraged to explore their interests, while emphasizing the joys of learning and service to others. The children are taught to embrace, accept, and value differences; they are challenged to ask questions, find answers, and approach all facets of daily life with compassion.

Friends School Haverford uses nature-based, hands-on experiences to teach their students these Quaker principles. The youngest students, for example, work together to plant and maintain vegetable and butterfly gardens, and the older students participate in the school’s egg co-op–raising hens and selling the eggs.

Macy, who is six and will enter first grade this fall, “likes to be outside and to move around,” said Ginny. “Every Friday, her class is outside the entire day and this suits her. The hands-on learning components of the nature-based program have boosted her confidence and created this magnetic pull around her — she wants to be a good friend to everyone.”

Quakers believe every person has an “inner light,” and are therefore encouraged to respect and appreciate the differences among the people that make up their community. Long before the birth of their daughter, this is what Ginny and Nicole were searching for. They found their community, and an extension of their family, at Friends School Haverford.

Does Friends School Haverford sound like it would be a good fit for your child or do you have questions for Haverford Friends School parents?

Join the conversation in the comments and visit Friends School Haverford at their April 10th Open House.

Click here to register for an open house or sign up for a personal tour.

Photographs by Sarah L. Bender