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St. Benedict’s Day Nursery, serving children from Pre-K 2 through Kindergarten in Harlem, will relocate to a larger facility on the campus of St. Charles Borromeo School at 214 W. 142nd Street, also in Harlem.
The nursery will become part of the archdiocese’s Manhattan schools region in September.
Starting in September, the school will be known as St. Benedict Early Childhood Academy at St. Charles Borromeo School.
The Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary founded St. Benedict’s Day Nursery in 1923. The religious congregation will continue to manage the school until the end of the current school year.
On March 17, Emily Marmolejos was appointed director of St. Benedict’s Day Nursery, and Patricia Toscano was named assistant director. They will be working closely with Aleeya Francis, principal of St. Charles Borromeo School.
Ms. Marmolejos formerly worked as a special education teacher at LosNinos Services in Manhattan. Ms. Toscano has been an educator for 14 years, most recently serving as a substitute teacher at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Manhattan.
“St. Benedict’s Day Nursery School has been a treasured and trusted part of the Harlem community for almost 100 years,” said Dr. Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese.
“This move reinforces our dedication to excellence in early childhood education and our commitment to expand these programs to meet the needs of our working families,” he said.
The parents and community of St. Benedict’s and St. Charles Borromeo have been notified of the changes. A town hall meeting for St. Benedict’s families will be held Thursday, March 20, at 5:30 p.m., at the convent adjacent to St. Benedict’s, 21 W. 124th Street. Sister Gertrude Ihenacho, F.H.M., congregation minister, will be joined at the meeting by Dr. McNiff; Father Gregory Chisholm, S.J, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo and board chair for the Manhattan Region; Ms. Francis; and Connie McCrory, director of the archdiocese’s Early Childhood Programs.
Information and registration materials: (212) 423-5715.
