About Us

The Sisters of Holy Cross founded Holy Cross Kindergarten in 1959 to serve the children and families of greater Manchester. The goals of the program were to foster the children’s physical growth, their religious and emotional development, their intellectual curiosity, healthy interpersonal relationships and social etiquette. The original group consisted of eight children who were five-year-olds, and the mission was to provide an outstanding education to those entering grade 1. 

As the needs of the community changed, the kindergarten became Holy Cross Early Childhood Center (HCECC). What was once an academic program only for kindergarteners is now a developmentally appropriate program for ages 3-5 years, focusing on the uniqueness of each child in his/her social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth. Today, it is open 50 weeks per year, from 7:00 am – 5:00 pm. HCECC is a NH Licensed Program, by the NH Child Care Licensing Unit. In addition, HCECC is one of ten Early Childhood Centers in NH to be recognized as a Certified Nature Explore Classroom.

We are proud of the staff at HCECC. Low turnover and high levels of collegiality provide a happy place for children to grow and learn. Teaching staff have significant training in Early Childhood Education and are NH credentialed. Our staff’s years of experience prove helpful when families struggle with tricky parts of parenthood. Our director is a certified Parenting Educator by Wheelock College.