Parish Reaffirms Commitment to Strategic Plan to Grow Engagement & Ensure Long-Term Prosperity of St. Bart’s
New York, NY, December 14, 2023– St. Bartholomew’s Church (St. Bart’s), the historic, Episcopal parish on Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan, today announced it will close its preschool at the conclusion of the school year in May 2024. The decision was made due to rising costs and declining enrollment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
To assist families during their transition to a new school for the fall of 2024, St. Bart’s has compiled a list of preschools that offer similar programs and the Parish has arranged for interested families to work directly with the Director of Admissions at The Church of the Epiphany Day School during the application process.
“After careful consideration, we were forced to make this difficult decision, and while disappointing to the entire St. Bart’s family, it is an important step toward ensuring the long-term resiliency of our parish,” said Tara Marlovits, Chief Operating Officer of St. Bart’s. “We are deeply grateful for the contributions of the entire preschool community, including long-time director, Allison O’Melia, as well as the faculty and staff who worked tirelessly to deliver a school experience rooted in meaningful relationships, active learning, play, creativity, and joy.”
In 2021, the Vestry of St. Bart’s approved a strategic plan to guide the work of the parish from 2022 to 2025. The plan consists of six pillars: 1) organizational structure and efficiency, 2) financial stability and increased giving, 3) growth in membership, 4) growth in engagement, 5) the full leveraging of the building and mission-supporting activities and 6) growth on digital platforms.
Throughout the year, St. Bart’s provides the parish with progress updates on each of the pillars, and in the coming months, new youth and family programming will be announced as a way to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement among younger congregants.
Marlovits added, “The strategic plan is furthering our mission of transformation by prioritizing resources that will deliver a vibrant and meaningful experience for our parishioners. We will continue to be responsible and faithful stewards of our resources as we seek to strengthen St. Bart’s for generations to come.”
About St. Bartholomew’s Church
Founded in 1835, St. Bart's has long been a spiritual bulwark of midtown Manhattan, known since its inception for its active community ministries, outstanding musical programs and partnership with Crossroads Community Services which serves meals to thousands of our neighbors struggling with hunger and homelessness.