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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Contact: Joel Avery, 215-917-1618, averyjoel@yahoo.com
After 140 Years as a Cornerstone Elementary School on the Philadelphia Main Line, Friends School Haverford has Fully Transitioned into an Early Childhood Education Center for Ages One through Kindergarten on Schedule for the Start of the 2026-2027 School Year Ushering in a New Era with Purpose and Excitement for the Future
After an extensive search for a change agent to lead its monumental transition and propel the school forward as an early childhood education center as its new Head of School, the historic Quaker private school selected Dr. Kimberly Blake, an education administrator with two decades of experience in facilitating organizational transformation. She started July 1.
Haverford, PA – After 140 years of continuous operation as a treasured elementary school on the Philadelphia Main Line, Friends School Haverford (FSH) has fully transitioned into an early childhood education center serving ages one through kindergarten and is actively recruiting families to reserve its last 12 open slots for the 2026-2027 school year, which begins August 31. The historic Quaker private school, a cornerstone of the community since 1885 and the oldest Quaker school on the Main Line, has redirected its institutional focus entirely to early childhood education due to long-running enrollment trends in the area shifting toward local public schools for elementary education – and a growing demand for high-quality early childhood education options for families with children across the Main Line. Adapting to these changes in the market, FSH officially closed its first-through-fifth elementary grades at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, which concluded June 9, and has entered a new era investing all of its talent and resources into its flourishing early learning programs devoted to the years research consistently identifies as most important for long-term learning and development.
The FSH school committee, the Quaker equivalent of a school board, conducted an extensive search for a change agent to lead the monumental transition and propel the school forward as an early childhood education center as its new head of school, choosing Dr. Kimberly Blake, an education administrator with two decades of experience facilitating organizational transformation. Blake officially took the helm of the school July 1, after providing transition leadership consulting to its leadership team in May and June. “Kim’s change management expertise and her extensive professional background in educational leadership make her an exceptional fit for our community,” school committee co-chair Caryn Rivers said. “She is a visionary and transformational leader who is launching us forward and embracing our new identity with a deep respect for our rich history and our Quaker values.”
Blake began achieving impressive enrollment numbers within weeks of starting as head of school. Blake and Director of Admissions Olivia Brangan successfully enrolled 77 children – or 87 percent of the school population – before August surpassing each of the last three years’ fall enrollment numbers, which were 71, 64 and 70 respectively. Additionally, the school’s one-year-old class, its youngest, is full and has a waiting
list as does its pre-K program for ages three and four. And with the vast majority of August still in play for registering more children, the team is confident FSH’s remaining 12 open seats will be filled before the school year starts on the last day of the month.
But not only is Blake touting the benefits of enrollment to the community with success, she is leading by example, having enrolled her own two young daughters, ages five and three, into the school for the 2026-2027 school year demonstrating the confidence and faith she and her husband have in the teachers at FSH, the school’s vision for a bright future and the school community. “We are fully embracing our new identity as a safe haven for early learners, and we’re rallying our entire school community around our exciting transition showcasing just how much we truly exemplify what an excellent school for early childhood education should look, feel and sound like to families with young children,” Blake said. “We offer the foremost experience-based curriculum available in early childhood education, allowing our teachers to think through their school days through the lens of early child development and school readiness standards.” She said school officials are excited about “stepping into this new era together focusing on the developmental years when children establish the academic, social-emotional, and executive functioning skills that shape future success.”
As head of school, Blake oversees all FSH school operations including finance, budgeting, enrollment, human resources, instruction, and family partnerships. She leads recruitment, supervision, coaching, and evaluation of faculty and staff while also directing admissions, enrollment and retention efforts. Blake said she’s been spending “meaningful time sitting with so many people in the community” this summer “listening, learning, asking questions, hearing their hopes for their kids, and leaning into their stories.” Her social media posts about FSH have garnered significant engagement and she said families can count on “transparent and frequent connection and communication” being a hallmark of her school leadership.
Before joining FSH, Blake was a regional superintendent at Mastery Charter Schools leading a portfolio of schools in Philadelphia and Camden in both academics and operations accomplishing record student achievement. Her extensive executive leadership experience also includes being a founding principal of New Jersey’s only K-2 school, Molina Lower School, and an executive reading coach at American Reading Company where she provided executive coaching to administrators of school districts and independent schools. Blake has a Doctorate of Education from Immaculata University in education administration, she’s been an adjunct professor at Temple and La Salle universities, and she began her career as a bilingual kindergarten teacher for the School District of Philadelphia.
“Kim is highly credentialed, and she has rich educational leadership experience but there’s also a lot more that stands out about her,” school committee co-chair Angie Fayad said. “She brings a very exuberant and joyful energy that’s infectious, she deeply appreciates our Quaker values, and she has a striking understanding of how to propel us forward while preserving the essence of who we are.” FSH remains rooted in the core Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship. The school sits on a hidden wooded campus stretching out for more than two acres on Buck Lane, its home since opening its doors in 1885.
All FSH early childhood education programs provide two full-time teachers in the classroom. Programs include a nursery class for one-year-olds with a maximum of 10 children, a toddler class for two-year-olds with a maximum of 12 children, pre-school for ages three and four with a maximum of 14 kids, pre-K for ages four and five with a maximum of 15 kids, and kindergarten for ages five and six maxing out at 12 children. “I want our class sizes really small to ensure that every kid has the opportunity for targeted instruction with our teachers throughout the week,” Blake said. The expansive school campus includes three playgrounds, a dedicated toddler play area that’s getting a $100,000 renovation next year, a soccer field, four large sandboxes, a tetherball pit, and a wooden outdoor stage where kids perform.
FSH will host an open house event on October 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information visit www.FriendsHaverford.org.
For media coverage and inquiries contact Joel Avery, Media Relations, 215-917-1618