ThistleWaithe Learning Center, which is a preschool based in South Salem, is seeking to return to its old location at St. Mary's Church in Katonah, according to an application filed for the Bedford Planning Board.
The planning board, which meets tonight, is considering a request for a special use permit to operate at the Catholic church, which is located on Valley Road.
According to its website, ThistleWaithe is a Montessori preschool, offers half-day programming for toddlers who are 18-36 months old, and a mix of half-day and full-day programs for kids ages 3-6 years old.
School usages for kids at St. Mary's has a long history, a ThistleWaithe letter to the board notes. From 1958 to 1993 there was once a school at the church, and the preschool itself operated at St. Mary's from 2000 to 2007, before leaving due to an expansion of Montfort Academy that resulted in a loss of the space. ThistleWaithe then used a "transitional" space at the Fountain of Eternal Life Church in Mount Kisco. ThistleWaithe has operated in South Salem since September 2009, at a site that the school notes was once home of the Hayloft Motel.
The Katonah proposal involves a learning center for kids ages 3-6, with two classrooms, a gymnasium, a dining space and a fenced playground included. The maximum enrollment for the center will be at 40 kids, ThistleWaithe notes in its letter. The proposed center would operate under two, half-day sessions at 9:15 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The preschool will follow the Katonah-Lewisboro school district's calendar and include Catholic holidays
The planning board meets tonight at 8 p.m., at the Town House Annex at 425 Cherry St. in Bedford Hills. To read the agenda and its packet material, including an overview of the ThistleWaithe application, click here.
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