Pixie Hill Preschool finds new home at Congregational Church on MI

Published 5:30 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2026

After about seven months of searching, Pixie Hill Preschool found a new Mercer Island home at the end of last year.

On Dec. 27, the nearly 70-year-old secular nonprofit signed a three-year lease to house its school at the Congregational Church on Mercer Island located at 4545 Island Crest Way.

The indoor/outdoor play-based school will officially open its doors at 4:30 p.m. on May 28 with a Spring Fundraiser, summer camp will begin on July 6 and the first day of school will be on Sept. 1.

A previous Reporter article noted that after Pixie Hill received a verbal notice last May that its renter of 13 years — Holy Trinity Lutheran Church — would be selling the property where the school operates, it urgently needed to locate a new abode. Holy Trinity, which sent a written notice to Pixie Hill of its intention late last June, said that it has cherished its relationship with the school and it was a difficult decision to sell the aging property adjacent to the church at 4025 86th Ave. SE. The school’s current lease will expire on June 30.

On the school’s new venture, Pixie Hill Board President Katie Kratzer said they’re thrilled to have secured a new spot but are sad to leave their “lovely and magical” current location.

“It’s bittersweet with most moves,” she said. “(We’re excited) with the Congregational Church and just how welcoming they’ve been for us, the nature that is there and the ability to lean in further to outdoor learning.”

Added Pixie Hill Director Ashley Good: “I think we’re feeling hopeful about our future and just getting to continue doing this job that we love.”

Congregational Church Pastor Rev. Jennifer Castle is pleased that Pixie Hill will be residing at the church and continuing to offer its dual-learning mission to the community.

“It feels like a really lovely partnership. They’ve been great to work with so far and we’re just really looking forward to it,” she said, adding that the church has been utilized as a preschool space in years past.

Pixie Hill’s new space will feature two newly refinished interior learning rooms covering roughly 800 square feet. There will also be an office and storage space for teachers, and the school has permission to utilize a large common space (not specifically in its rental contract) for children to play, jump and run around during their school days. Outside, there’s a play space, a small trail and an amphitheater for storytelling, music and group activities.

School hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for the students ages 3-5. Currently, there are 16 students enrolled at Pixie Hill and 13 are set for fall classes. Kratzer said they still have space available for the fall school session. The school’s three instructors will also be moving over to the new location, which sits less than a mile from its current home.

A press release notes that, “The new location also places Pixie Hill within the attendance boundary of Island Park Elementary School, while remaining within walking distance for some families attending Northwood Elementary School and West Mercer Elementary School. This continuity helps maintain the strong connections Pixie Hill families have long shared with neighborhood elementary schools.”

Kratzer said that Pixie Hill staff and board members pursued 20 leads in locating a new home, adding that they were focused on affordability and a connection to nature and community during their search.

“We’ve always made space for families to spend 30 minutes together on the playground before and after school, and we weren’t willing to lose that. The friendships that take root at pickup and drop-off are how our community grows roots that outlast preschool,” said Kratzer, adding that the Congregational Church layout lends itself to that flow.

Another key element of the search was to keep Pixie Hill on the northern half of Mercer Island since the school has students from off-Island and it’s easier for those families to reach the school off Interstate 90.

For more information, visit: https://www.pixiehillpreschool.com/nonprofit