Tidal Tots began with a simple belief: families should not have to choose between the community they love and access to dependable childcare.

When Hatteras Island lost its last licensed childcare center, the impact was immediate. Parents scrambled to piece together care. Some stepped away from work. Employers felt the strain. Families reconsidered whether they could remain here—or whether they could afford to grow their families here at all.

For a community that depends on teachers, nurses, first responders, small-business owners, hospitality workers, tradespeople, and so many others showing up every day, the loss of childcare wasn't simply a problem for parents.

It was a problem for our whole community.

And so, Coastal Family Collaborative was born.

A Community Response

Coastal Family Collaborative is a nonprofit organization created by local people who believe some challenges are simply too important to wait for someone else to solve.

We listened to families. We talked with early childhood educators, local businesses, community organizations, government leaders, and others who understood what was at stake. We explored different models and asked a lot of questions.

Again and again, we came back to the same conclusion:

Hatteras Island needs childcare that is built to last.

Not a temporary fix. Not simply a place for children to go while their parents work.

A place where children are known, loved, challenged, encouraged, and given room to grow.

A place where early childhood educators are treated as the professionals they are—with competitive pay, meaningful benefits, opportunities to grow, and a workplace where they feel valued.

A place families can depend on.

That vision became Tidal Tots Childcare Center.

Growing a Strong Future

Located in Frisco and serving families throughout Hatteras Island, Tidal Tots is being developed as a nonprofit, year-round early childhood education center for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Our goal is to provide high-quality care in a small, nurturing environment while pursuing a minimum Four-Star North Carolina Star Rated License.

But our vision extends beyond the walls of our classrooms.

When parents have dependable childcare, they can work.

When businesses can retain employees, they can thrive.

When young families can imagine raising their children here, our villages remain vibrant.

And when children spend their earliest years surrounded by people who believe in them, we grow a stronger future from the very beginning.

If This Were Our Child...

There is one question at the heart of nearly every decision we make:

If this were our child, what would we hope for?

We hope they would be greeted by name.

We hope they would feel safe.

We hope someone would kneel down to their level when they were upset.

We hope someone would celebrate their victories, comfort their disappointments, and encourage their curiosity.

We hope they would spend their days laughing, exploring, reading stories, making friends, getting messy, asking questions, and discovering just how capable they are.

We hope they would be treated with patience, kindness, and dignity.

And we hope that, at the end of every day, they would run into the arms of someone who loves them, excited to come back tomorrow.

That is the promise we make to every family who entrusts us with their child.

Welcome to Tidal Tots.

We're growing a strong future—together.