Expanding P.E.I. studio offers exploration, education for kids in two languages

Abbey Gopsill leads a dance session at The Nest in Charlottetown. (Source: Abbey Gopsill)

Abbey Gopsill counts herself as lucky she gets to lead, on average, 10 dance parties a week. The business owner in Charlottetown, P.E.I., enjoys the time she gets to cut loose, but she finds it’s even more important for her group of dance partners.

“It’s really special for them to be connecting,” Gopsill said. “It’s really cool to see them create those memories.”

Gopsill is the owner and educator of The Nest, a studio that allows young children to explore instruments, movement, and bilingualism. Gopsill, who launched the business less than three years ago, is expanding it into an independent space to accommodate the growing demand across the community.

“We use a combination of live music and puppets…we play games, basically anything a zero-to-six-year-old would find interesting,” Gopsill said.

Gopsill, a mother of three, said she discovered a music program in Charlottetown while she was on maternity leave in late 2019 and signed up as a teacher. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic forced the program to move online and it closed its doors later that year.

Gopsill looked around Charlottetown for similar programs, but she was unable to find any, so she decided to create one herself.

“Anyone who knows me knows I love to create,” Gopsill said. “It’s come from a love of my kids and wanting to discover more about other kids.

“It can be so lonely to be a caregiver to a child. I was missing that community aspect. It’s as much for the grownups as the kids.”

The Nest in Charlottetown hosts a variety of activities for young children. (Source: Abbey Gopsill)

Gopsill officially launched The Nest in January 2022 for weekly classes. She chose the name to evoke a feeling of community and sense of coming home for visitors.

Gopsill said the original space, located in a church basement, suited the business’s needs at the start, but the high demand encouraged her to find a larger space on Capital Drive.

“There are no stairs so it’s a lot more accessible and easier to get to,” she said. “It removes some of the barriers that might have stopped people from coming to The Nest.”

Gopsill said she merges English and French in the classes to spark a connection with the languages with the kids, noting there seems to be a strong interest in bilingualism in P.E.I.

“People are really looking to expand the worldview of their children from a young age,” she said.

Abbey Gopsill introduces young children to instruments at The Nest in Charlottetown. (Source: Abbey Gopsill)

Gopsill said the steady growth of The Nest in the last two years shows there is a big demand for this kind of program on the Island.

“Charlottetown is a strong, encouraging community,” she said. “Everyone is looking out for everyone. Once word of mouth got out, everyone knew about it.”

Abbey Gopsill is the owner of The Nest in Charlottetown. (Source: Abbey Gopsill)

The Nest will celebrate the grand opening of its new studio at 95 Capital Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. 

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