Sacred Hearts Nursery School, Riverdale Park

The Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have been a part of the Riverdale Park community since 1974 when they converted a single family home into a convent and nursery school. The nursery school is the main source of financial support for the sisters who live in the convent and a vital resource for the community which serves the needs of children and families in Prince George’s County near Washington D.C. In our little town 16\\% of children live below the poverty line. e serve a vital need to working families in our community by providing day care a cost well below the going area rate. This is vital source of support for the families we serve who are largely the working poor in our community. Plus we provide a loving and nurturing educational environment year round for the most needy in our surrounding community - the little children. The children receive several meals a day at the school. Given the shockingly low rate of tuition compared to other comparable, area schools, the sisters have been forced to rely on donations of food from the community to make affordable, nutritious meals for the children. Seven years ago Sister Ada Grano had a vision to serve many more children. The nursery school was limited by physical space requirements required by Maryland law to only accommodate 20 children. In Easter 2015, our school was granted permission to serve 30 children. The need was so great the additional slots were filled immediately. In the past several years we were forced to turn away many needy children because we were at capacity. The renovation added an additional 500 square feet to the already existing space. A new playground was added as well as a circular driveway for a safe drop off and to eliminate traffic hazards. For the first time ever the facility is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and as a result can now accept disabled and special needs students for the first time.