Tomorrow, the city is co-naming St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Avenue A Sara Curry Way.
Curry started the Little Missionary's Day Nursery in 1896, which is still in operation today. (The Nursery is also seemingly and amazingly one of the few businesses along this portion of St. Mark's Place without a liquor license.)
Here's more about Curry via the Little Missionary's Day Nursery website:
[She] dedicated her life to providing childcare to the working parents of the Lower East Side. Since she worked so hard to help the community, and she was short in size, many called her the “Little Missionary,” hence the name of the school. At the turn of the century, children often roamed the streets of the Lower East Side while their parents worked long days in factories.
Sara Curry organized a program in her own apartment on Avenue C, and provided children with reading lessons as well as healthy food in a safe, clean environment. In 1901 the building at 93 St. Marks Place was purchased with the help of generous benefactors. On any given day, 200 children were cared for in this wonderful building, still a haven for children to this day.
Sara Curry was famous in her time, and was featured in many publications including Harpers Weekly and Fifty Years on the East Side, by Rev. John Robertson Henry. Through her tireless efforts she made numerous friends in the business community and was able to enlist the support of several very wealthy families.
In addition to providing child care, Miss Curry fed the poor in the neighborhood and often gave her own clothing or shoes to those without. She organized cooking, sewing and child care classes for the mothers. She organized meetings to help families with their problems, and helped to steer parents towards sobriety and economic responsibility. A summer house in Rye, donated by benefactors, was for many years a haven for children to escape from the sweltering heat of the city.
Miss Curry died in 1940.
"Her life was devoted to other people," Eileen Johnson, who has led Little Missionary's since 2001, told Serena Solomon at DNAinfo. "I just think she is a really great role model."
Tomorrow's co-naming ceremonies include a street fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
5 comments:
What!? Did we have any say in this or did the city decide on the name itself?
She sounded like a nice enough lady but I wonder about the street-naming policy.
I wonder about the street-naming policy, too. It would be nice if there were a plaque or a marker somewhere on the named streets explaining the history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_streets_in_New_York_City
Your wish is Wikipedia's command.
street co-naming must be supported by community board at public meeting with community input and public vote. it must then be voted on by city council by public vote and opportunity for public input. both the community boards and city council have guidelines.
My two girls each attended "Little Mish" in the late '90s/2000 and had a great experience -- for the most part -- but I would guess that the nursery would no longer be characterized as a "haven" for the children of working families.
Back in the late '90s I recall the fee being between 500-$750 per month, depending upon the number of hours a day or number of days a week my child attended.
Today, a 5-day per week session (8:30am-3pm) is $1540 per month. Add $385 per month if your child needs to stay "after school" 3pm to 6pm.
And then also add a $500 materials fee per year.
(see: http://www.lmdn.org/admissions/tuition/)
Am I crazy or is this really a difficult nut for "working families" to cover each month?
Now, I just have to deal with college, which is another story........
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