Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Since its founding in 1973, Merricat’s has maintained a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For nearly half a century, our school has served as a national model for inclusionary education. We have brought together children from different economic and cultural backgrounds, children with disabilities, children who are seriously ill, and typically developing children from our neighborhood. Children with special needs are loved for their strengths. Merricat’s provides a unique opportunity for children to understand and appreciate diversity in the truest sense. At its simplest, we provide an opportunity for over 100 children to enrich one another’s lives by playing and learning together, ultimately assisting everyone to develop all of their abilities. Merricat’s is an inclusive space that is enormously enriching for children as they make immeasurable gains in patience, love, tenderness, and humanity.

Beyond the diversity, equity, and inclusion that comes from the Merricat’s model, our school also follows these core principles:

  • Taking a conscious approach to parent communication and involvement to ensure an equitable environment

  • Establishing relationships with all families to create a safe environment where children, parents, and staff can discuss all topics within a respectful community

  • Implementing a curriculum that is developmental and individualized to fulfill our mission to create an inclusive, supportive learning environment

  • Developing a curriculum with topics that encourage a strong sense and experience of belonging for all children

  • Guaranteeing that all teaching staff have a voice in curriculum planning and day-to-day implementation to assure that our children are exposed to the diverse talents, voices, and cultural perspectives of our staff

  • Always encouraging students to learn from others

As part of the Association to Benefit Children (ABC), Merricat’s Castle School strives for racial, social, and economic justice every single day. To find out more about ABC’s racial justice work, click here.

Inclusion Program

Merricat’s is committed to including children with special needs in our classrooms and offering individualized programs to support each child. Over the past 35 years, Merricat’s Special Education Director, Sheryl Benjamin, has developed a warm, supportive, collaborative program, designed to meet every child’s and family’s specific needs.  Sheryl, along with Merricat’s special education teachers and professionals, are committed to:

  • Forming a clear path of communication among parents, service providers, and school

  • Welcoming outside service providers into the Merricat’s classrooms according to strict safety and COVID-19 protocols

  • Providing a collaborative environment for families, Merricat’s staff and service providers

  • Supporting child evaluations

  • Supporting families, upon completing their time at Merricat’s, in the process of choosing their next school environment