A national model for inclusionary education, serving children since 1973.

“While other, more august institutions are debating multiculturalism and diversity, Merricat’s just goes out and finds the children who make those ideals real.”

New York Times, May 1992

Merricat’s was founded by Gretchen Buchenholz, a nationally recognized child educator and advocate, when she was unable to find an excellent and diverse nursery school for her own youngest children. Merricat’s was created on the premise that all children, when given the opportunity, will thrive and do best by learning together and from each other. Through its strong commitment and innovative approach to inclusionary education, it became the national model for serving children with disabilities and seriously ill children together with typically developing children. From its very first days, Merricat’s has been committed to diversity: in the mid-1980s, when homelessness in New York City was rampant, Merricat’s included homeless children in its three classrooms. Years later, it was successful advocacy from Merricat’s in the courts that established the right to inclusionary preschool education for young children with disabilities.

Almost half a century later, Merricat’s continues to provide an exemplary early childhood program. Its director, Linda Wosczyk, an experienced early childhood educator, has guided the Merricat’s team with incomparable wisdom, tenderness, strength, and humor for over 40 years, sustaining the nurturing spirit of this magical preschool. Alongside Linda, Merricat’s leadership includes special education expert, Sheryl Benjamin, and admissions specialist, Mimi Broner, each with 35 years of experience at Merricat’s. In 1986, Gretchen went on to create the Association to Benefit Children (ABC), where she serves as Executive Director. Since that time, Merricat’s has been a hugely important program for ABC.

A cornerstone of the Association to Benefit Children (ABC)

Merricat’s Castle School is a cornerstone of the Association to Benefit Children (ABC), a New York City-based non-profit that serves vulnerable families and children across the city. ABC is a relentless champion for children, unflinching in its commitment to protect every child. The organization operates on interlocking levels to provide compassionate care and support for those in need as well as advocacy and action to improve public policies both within and far beyond the borders of New York City. ABC has fought with determination to bring relief and the promise of a brighter future to hungry children, to homeless children warehoused in hotels and shelters, to infants stored in hospitals, to preschool-age children with special needs denied access to mainstream early education, to children at risk of HIV/AIDS in foster care, to all infants born with HIV, and to homeless children suffering from asthma. ABC strives to incubate evidence-based, scalable programs that put the needs of children first.