In October 2020, Jessie Stephens and Thomas Phillips were hanging out in her living room helping their kids with remote learning and trying to figure out how to help other parents when a light went off.
The pair had already established a business in July 2020 working as policy writers for summer camps, but now they were turning their focus to remote learning support. A month later, Stephens and Phillips, along with their friend, Alex Regan, launched Island Roots Camp Group, a cornucopia of summer camp, after-school enrichment, and remote learning support.
Island Roots lives in a sprawling space at 40 Tioga Way complete with access to a small backyard. A music room, dramatic/dollhouse room, a quiet study room, and a room filled with natural light and flattened boxes ring three-quarters of a large wide-open space.
“This is the fort room,” Stephens joked, pointing to the boxes.
The…
