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February 27, 2017

Boston – February 27, 2017

Dr. Nonie K. Lesaux, Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care and the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society at Harvard University has been named Nurtury’s 2017 Nurturer of the Year.

Established in 2016, The Nurturer of the Year Award is presented annually at the organization’s fundraising event A Night for Nurtury, to recognize an individual who applies ingenuity, compassion, and intellect to addressing and mitigating the impact of the challenges that affect young children and their families. Massachusetts State Representative and Nurtury alumnus Jeffrey Sánchez received the first award.

A Night for Nurtury will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at our flagship center the Nurtury Learning Lab, located at 33 Bickford Street in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments (formerly Bromley-Heath). Proceeds from evening will benefit Nurtury programs. For sponsor and ticket information, contact Stephanie Ellington, Associate Director – Donor Engagement & Events at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 617.695.0700 ext. 229.

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January 30, 2017

(L to R) State Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez, VP of Development-Jaye Smith, Board Member-Bruce Blaisdell, President & CEO-Wayne Ysaguirre, Infant/Toddler Teacher-Dorothy Johnson, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Program Director-Byron Gardner, Preschool Teacher-Tina Square.

Boston – January 30, 2017

Today, House Speaker Robert DeLeo visited the Nurtury Learning Lab located in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain.

"As the House advances its focus on high-quality early education and care, it's essential to hear from educators and to meet the families participating in these programs," said Speaker DeLeo. "We're fortunate to have a national leader like Nurtury in our backyard and I'm thrilled to visit the program and learn from them. Today's visit will inform the House's work this coming session, especially with regards to supporting the workforce."

"Nurtury provides a safe learning experience for nearly 1,000 children in the neighborhood," said Representative Jeffrey Sánchez. "I'm excited for the Speaker to come to Jamaica Plain and learn about the great programs Nurtury has to offer."

Nurtury President & CEO Wayne Ysaguirre states: "Speaker DeLeo truly understands the important role early education and care plays in the economics of our state and in the educational and life outcomes of our residents. It is inspiring to work with a policy leader who not only takes the time to learn about the high return on investing in children's early education, but is also compelled to make those investments. I am really excited and honored to have had Speaker DeLeo visit Nurtury's Learning Lab today as it represents the opportunities we need to offer all our children."

Nurtury Learning Lab, located at 33 Bickford Street in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, 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.

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January 04, 2017

Boston – January 5, 2017

Today, Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) and members of the Senate Kids First Initiative visited the Nurtury Learning Lab. Kids First is a multi-year initiative, led by Senator DiDomenico, to identify and support innovative strategies to invest in Massachusetts’ children. Members of the initiative are taking a comprehensive look at a wide variety of policy areas relating to supporting children, including education, nutrition, public health, housing, and workforce development.

The Senate group is currently working on the first phase of the initiative, focusing on early childhood development from pre-natal through the fourth grade. Members of the initiative visited Nurtury’s state-of-the-art Learning Lab as they continue seeking input on the best-in-the-nation practices for supporting children.

“We are excited to have Senator Sal DiDomenico and members of the Senate’s Kids First Committee visit Nurtury”, said Nurtury President & CEO Wayne Ysaguirre. “We know that the goal of putting children first in the legislative process is one that makes so much sense to us, the earlier we begin to think about a child, the more effective our strategies will be.

The legislature needs to start with the youngest children possible to achieve the measurable outcomes that we want for them as they progress into adulthood. The crux of early education at Nurtury is a three-pronged approach that actively engages the entire child, their family, and their community. We are thrilled to allow the Senate the opportunity to see early education in practice, discuss our challenges, and inform their thinking around where to invest.”

“Organizations like Nurtury help us to see firsthand the great work being done in the Commonwealth to produce high quality early education and care, and allow us to understand what areas of the field might need improvement,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico, leader of the Senate Kids First Initiative. “We know that without a strong workforce we cannot expect the objectives of Kids First to become a reality, and beginning these open dialogues with organizations like Nurtury are crucial to our success in this endeavor.”

Nurtury Learning Lab, located at 33 Bickford Street in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, 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 Senate Kids First Initiative was launched by Senate President Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst) in January of 2016 with the mission of creating a bold blueprint for how Massachusetts can better invest in order to raise strong and resilient children. Kids First is set to release its first report focusing on early childhood in February.

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December 04, 2016

Today, Massachusetts First Lady Lauren Baker, was joined by President & CEO Wayne Ysaguirre at Nurtury Learning Lab. Mrs. Baker read to children as a part of Nurtury's "Be Our Guest" Story Hour.

Nurtury Learning Lab, located at 33 Bickford Street in the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, 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.

"It was a pleasure visiting Nurtury Learning Lab to see the great work being done within Greater Boston to support the reading and developmental needs of our Commonwealth's next generation," said First Lady Lauren Baker.

"We are grateful to have had First Lady Lauren Baker read to our children at Nurtury Learning Lab and for supporting our mission of being the place-where kids and communities grow, said Nurtury President & CEO Wayne Ysaguirre." "We understand the importance of instilling our children with early literacy skills so that they can be school-ready once they enter kindergarten. We are thrilled to be able to create lifelong learners and promote excitement around literacy."

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October 31, 2016

Boston – October 31, 2016 – Nurtury’s Boston location at 436 Tremont Street is now partnering with Tufts University nutrition researchers to test an exciting new program focused on helping children learn to like healthy foods. Through play-based activities and increased familiarization with healthy foods, the team will assess new curriculum and recipes created to give children fun experiences with healthy eating. Participating families will receive a stipend for a child’s participation in the assessment measurements, including: height, weight, hemoglobin and cognition at the beginning and end of the project (approximately 8-10 weeks starting in October). In addition, the team will make observations of the children eating during school hours, and will request completion of a questionnaire.