Nurtury Announces Mary Kay Leonard as Interim Chief Executive Officer
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Leonard brings more than three decades of non-profit, public and private sector experience to the organization
Jamaica Plain, MA (June 6, 2018) – Nurtury, New England’s first early childhood care center and preschool, today announced that Mary Kay Leonard has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer. She will succeed Wayne Ysaguirre, who has served as CEO of Nurtury for the past 10 years.
Leonard, who has served in the non-profit, public and private sector for more than 30 years, will lead Nurtury, providing strategic counsel and overall planning and management for the organization. She will also play a pivotal role in the search for Nurtury’s next CEO.
“Mary Kay’s leadership skills and deep expertise in the non-profit sector will be invaluable to Nurtury while she serves as interim CEO,” said Wayne Ysaguirre. “Mary Kay will help ensure Nurtury maintains its strong position for continued growth and she has always been an advocate of Nurtury’s mission to helping children reach their full potential.”
Mary Kay began her career in state government as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Office for Children which regulated more than 12,000 child and youth service programs. She helped to shape public policy for state agencies as Chief Counsel to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Human Services. Prior to creating her own consulting practice focused on helping companies during times of change, Leonard served as President and CEO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a national non-profit organization providing research and consultation to foundations, businesses, and governments. She also had nearly a decade of experience serving as Chief Operating Officer and Interim CEO of the United Way serving Boston as well as the leader of Investor Relations for United Way Worldwide.
“I’m honored to serve as interim CEO of Nurtury,” said Mary Kay Leonard. “I have always had a deep commitment to helping children reach their potential and I’m so proud to join Nurtury – an organization whose mission and values are helping our youngest children build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.”
Mary Kay Leonard will begin her role as interim CEO on July 2 and will serve the organization until the new CEO of Nurtury has been selected.
About Nurtury
Nurtury is a pioneer in early childhood education and has played an integral role during its 140-year history in shaping public early education policy to raise standards in the field of education nationally and in New England. Nurtury’s mission is to help Greater Boston’s youngest children reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development, and strengthening families.
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Nurtury Acquires Franklin Square House Children’s Center
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Boston, MA - November 16, 2017
Nurtury, Boston's leader in delivering early education and care, announced today that it has completed the merger of Franklin Square House Children's Center, which has served children and families in the Mission Hill neighborhood community for more than 30 years.
Franklin Square House is a great strategic fit for Nurtury. The acquisition expands Nurtury's footprint in Greater Boston, adding a sixth center that will serve twenty-nine children in two classrooms — expanding our toddler and preschool classrooms to forty agency-wide.
Executive Director, Jen Demetros has been the center's director for four years. Her commitment to the center's children and families has created a warm, nurturing educational environment for children. She remarked, "This decision positions us to become part of one of the best and largest early education and care agencies in the City of Boston."
"We are excited to welcome the Franklin Square House children, parents, and employees to Nurtury! Delivering high quality early education and care to prepare children for kindergarten and beyond will continue to be our number one priority" said Wayne Ysaguirre, President and CEO of Nurtury. The completion of the transaction means that children, parents, and staff at Franklin Square House will benefit from Nurtury's comprehensive administrative service capabilities, which will increase their ability to operate in an efficient and effective manner.
Franklin Square House Children's Center will remain at its current location at 1575 Tremont Street in Boston, MA, and will be renamed Nurtury at Franklin Square House.
ABOUT NURTURY
Nurtury gives Greater Boston's youngest children in need, from birth to age five, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development and strengthening families. For over a century, Nurtury has been one of Boston's largest providers of early education and care, currently impacting over 1,200 children in the Greater Boston area. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn
UBER Supports Family Engagement
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Boston, MA - October 6, 2017
Nurtury, New England’s first early education and care agency, has partnered with UBER to further their family engagement efforts. UBER, the location-based app that offers inexpensive transportation services, will be sponsoring the Nurtury Learning Lab’s monthly Family Movie Night for one year. This event takes place on the fourth Friday of each month to bring members of the community together at this Jamaica Plain location in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments (formerly Bromley-Heath). UBER was also a sponsor of Nurtury’s 3rd annual fundraiser, A Night for Nurtury in May 2017.
For more information on the Learning Lab’s Family Engagement Department, contact India Gerald, Director of Family Engagement at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
ABOUT NURTURY
Nurtury gives Greater Boston's youngest children in need, from birth to age five, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting health development and strengthening families. For over a century, Nurtury has been one of Boston's largest providers of early education and care, currently impacting over 1,200 children in the Greater Boston area.
Nurtury Learning Lab Receives LEED® Green Building Certification
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Jamaica Plain, MA - August 6, 2017
Nurtury, New England's first early education and care agency, had its' Jamaica Plain location, the Nurtury Learning Lab, awarded the prestigious LEED® Green Building certification in April of this year.
The Learning Lab is one of five center-based program locations in Nurtury's footprint, and it serves as Nurtury's flagship center. The Learning Lab incorporates the most creative thinking and evidence-based practices, with the long-term objective of becoming a replicable, national model for delivering early education and comprehensive family services in an urban area.
The Learning Lab was designed by StudioMLA Architects with the intent of achieving LEED® certification. "The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated for improved environmental and human health performance." (Source: StudioMLA Architects)
"The development, design, and construction of the Learning Lab at Mildred C. Hailey represents the single most ambitious project in Nurtury's history, and it will make a lasting, positive impact on the urban fabric of this neighborhood," said Wayne Ysaguirre, Nurtury's President & CEO.
The Nurtury Learning Lab spans 22,400 square feet in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments (formerly Bromley-Heath) and was built to support classrooms and outdoor natural play for 175 infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
USGBC says: "The work of innovative building projects such as Nurtury Learning Lab is a fundamental driving force in transforming the way buildings are built, designed and operated," said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC." (Source: StudioMLA Architects)
Nurtury Chosen to be Featured in PBS Docuseries "Our Kids"
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Boston - June 12, 2017
"Our Kids" is a 4-part documentary film series for a PBS broadcast based on the best-selling book by Harvard professor, Robert Putnam, who The Sunday Times of London has called, "the most influential academic in the world." The film examines the widening opportunity gap between rich and poor kids, and what our communities can do to narrow the gap -- from early-learning reading and math programs, to juvenile justice reform, to tech industry apprenticeship programs.The film will profile innovative programs that are succeeding in narrowing the opportunity gap and that can be replicated in other communities subject to cost and community involvement." (Source: Media Policy Center) Filming for this project will take place at Nurtury Learning Lab in Jamaica Plain in early August and will involve on-camera interviews with staff, teachers and children.
Nurtury President & CEO Wayne Ysaguirre said: "We are grateful to be given the opportunity to highlight Nurtury's work around narrowing the achievement gap, specifically for children ages birth to five. As we continue to implement our child-family-community strategy to early education, we are optimistic that the influencers in our communities are understanding the importance of investing in a high-quality education for all children the moment they enter the world. We are excited to be a part of this media initiative and to contribute to this nationwide call to action."
Harry Wiland, Co-founder of The Media Policy Center, and producer of the media initiative said: "We chose Nurtury because nothing was spared to create an open, beautiful, and nurturing environment for the children. It is an example for other communities to emulate."
ABOUT NURTURY
Nurtury gives Greater Boston's youngest children in need, from birth to age eight, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting health development and strengthening families. For over a century, Nurtury has been one of Boston's largest providers of early education and care, currently impacting over 1,200 children in the Greater Boston area. Learn more by visiting: www.nurturyboston.org
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ABOUT MEDIA POLICY CENTER
The Media Policy Center is a non-profit organization and leader in using both broadcast and online media to help solve healthcare and social issues that confront the nation. The founders and current Co-CEOs, Harry Wiland and Dale Bell, have won numerous awards: An Academy Award, multiple EMMYs, a Peabody Award, among others. They are Ashoka Lifetime Fellows and Professors/Co-Directors of the Media For Social Justice Graduate Program at Woodbury University in Los Angeles. www.mediapolicycenter.org