The giggles of babies can be heard for the first time in the lower school with the opening of the Nest. 

Located in the newly renovated Moss Hall and opened for the 2025-2026 school year, the Nest provides daycare for the youngest members of the St. Mary’s community, starting at just six weeks of age. 

While talk of having a daycare for St. Mary’s faculty and staff has been around for years, the administration never had the opportunity to build one, until last year. 

Head of School Albert Throckmorton is thrilled that the renovation of Moss Hall had enough extra space to create a daycare.

“When I first got [to St. Mary’s 21 years ago], [the administration was] talking about, is there a way to do a nursery…and it’s just been an idea all along,” he said. 

For Throckmorton, the Nest is all about serving the St. Mary’s community.

“This is not a profit-making endeavor,” he said. “[The Nest] is a service. It’s a benefit for those whose children can get in.” 

Enrollment is open to the children of St. Mary’s faculty and staff, St. Mary’s alumni, the parents of current St. Mary’s students and Church of the Holy Communion members. The Nest is already at full capacity with 10 children, five babies and five toddlers. Two of them are children of faculty and staff while four are children of alumni. Eight of the 10 have other siblings at St. Mary’s.

Those who are eligible for enrollment get to experience the daycare’s highly-curated, child-friendly atmosphere. On the blue-gray colored walls are the artwork of the toddlers, and on the shelves are an abundance of different toys that are fun but are also specifically chosen to build a strong basis of learning for the children. 

Everything in this environment, according to Director of the Nest Brianna Morrow, builds a great foundation for the toddlers and babies.

“It’s a very inviting space and there’s lots of colors and animals, and [the teachers] are playing music and it’s just a really neat place for the kids,” Morrow said.

Although the environment of the Nest is playful, the curriculum not only focuses on being fun for the children but also educational. The daycare uses the curriculum from the daycare app Brightwheel, which, according to Nest teacher Markeesh Young, is effective for the children’s learning. But as for the babies and toddlers, they do not recognize that they are learning because all of it is fun for them.

“Even with playing, they’re not just playing, they’re learning as well,” Young said. “We have a little broom set, and [the toddlers are] like, ‘Oh, we’re just playing with the broom,’ but they’re actually learning how to clean up, sweep and put their toys away.”

This demonstrates one goal of the Nest: to embed learning into everyday life.

“If we have girls here, even if they’re young…why wouldn’t we be teaching them instead of just babysitting?” Throckmorton said. 

This intentional learning does not end after the toddlers and babies are picked up from the Nest. Brightwheel also features activities for the parents to continue their child’s education at home. 

This is especially appreciated by Middle School Counselor Andrea Peredo, whose daughter is currently enrolled at the Nest.

“There’s a learning section where if they’re covering a certain activity or concept…[Brightwheel] has extension activities for the parents,” she said. “If they’re working on fine motor skills, they’ll give some examples of activities that you can do back home to reinforce what they’re learning.”

For Peredo, having her daughter close during the work day gives her peace of mind. 

“It just makes me feel more at ease knowing that she’s having a good day, that people I know have an eye on her and…the trust that she is safe is there,” Peredo said.

As for convenience, St. Mary’s faculty and staff are taking full advantage.

For Claire Betti, St. Mary’s coach and strength-and-conditioning specialist, having one pick-up and drop-off location is especially helpful as her son is currently in the Nest while her daughter is in pre-kindergarden.

“It’s added an hour to our day together at home just hanging out, which is really nice,” she said.

Now that the Nest is up and running, Morrow is looking forward to the work to come.

“My hope is that as we nurture and teach and provide space for them to grow,” Morrow said. “[That] it’s the same effort and quality as our teachers across the board, across divisions.”