Ann Hackett started home child care in 1988. Living in Portsmouth, raising her own daughters understanding the need of quality care for young children, she opened The Island Child Care Center in February 2000 when her daughters were 5 and 7. She did it all, from writing her own handbook, creating her philosophy and hand painting the recognizable clownfish logo. Her first location quickly filled up and in 2005 she opened her second location. This expansion allowed for infant care through school age. The two locations provided a safe and loving care to the children of the Portsmouth community.
Her daughters, Julia and Laura Nasser, grew up in the business. Assistant teaching throughout their early adult years, lead them to pursue schooling in Psychology and Early Childhood Education. Now, Julia and Laura are the Directors of the Portsmouth location.
In 2013, Ann opened The Island Child Care Center - Bristol
History of The Island
The Renovation
After renting two locations for nearly twenty years, The Island brought both schools together under the leadership of Ann Hackett and her two daughters, Julia and Laura, to secure the future of quality child care. Ann purchased the former St. Mary’s Parish Hall in December of 2017. The major transformation of the Victorian Parish Hall began, and the doors opened to the beautiful new school on October 10th 2018. Keeping the historical integrity of the 12,000 square foot building, The Island is complete with 8 classrooms and an indoor gymnasium.
It was important to respect the building’s historical integrity during the renovation process. Preserving the character-defining features of this Victorian building was imperative in addition to providing necessary updates for safe and quality care.
