Vatican inaugurates nursery school for employees' children

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican inaugurated a nursery school for children of Vatican employees April 14.

The Sts. Francis and Clare school can accommodate up to 30 children between the ages of 3 months and 3 years old and is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Located inside the walls of Vatican City State not far from a workers’ cafeteria and several Vatican offices, the new school has one Italian- and one English-speaking teacher per class, given the international make-up of the Vatican’s workforce.

While the school was officially opened to children April 1, the formal inauguration and blessing were held April 14, officiated by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, former president of the office governing Vatican City State, and Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini, current president of the office.

Pope Francis enthusiastically supported establishing a nursery school to help parents, especially mothers, who return to work after parental leave, Azzurra Lacirignola, representing the governing office, told Vatican News. Employees with families had often requested such a service, she added.

Now parents have the opportunity to have their infants “within walking distance of the workplace,” she said.