About Us

 

"We toured Mary Cariola’s Pre-K program and it was just amazing. The director of the pre-school knew every student’s name and she was getting smiles and hugs from the children. It gave us such a great feeling that this was the place where Todd would flourish. We are happy with every little step and Mary Cariola celebrates these victories right along with us. Todd is going to show us what he can do and with the help of Mary Cariola, he will achieve his greatest potential."                                                                  Sally Quist

 

   

When David and Sally Quist learned they were having another child, they were thrilled and a

little nervous, like any parents. After Todd was born, their life changed as one might expect.

 

But nothing prepared them for Todd being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at age one. It

took some time for David and Sally to grasp that Todd would never do many things that his

older brother would, nor would he become an independent adult like him. And it took an

agency like Mary Cariola Children’s Center to offer them hope…hope that their son could live

a life full of opportunity and growth.

 

Our team of teachers, clinicians, nurses, aides, and therapists are following a tradition of caring

started by our founder and namesake, Mary Cariola. Mary died many years ago, but her legacy

lives on. Her simple philosophies have taken root, changing thousands of lives along the way…

 

• put children first, always
• love, care for and guide each child
• involve families
• hire the best staff possible
• customize a program for each child that builds on his or her abilities

 

Mary Cariola Children’s Center has served thousands of children with cognitive delays since its

founding 58 years ago. Along the way, Mary Cariola has developed an expertise in serving

children with mental retardation, as well as autism. The children thrive in our positive, upbeat

environment, often surprising families and staff with small but meaningful steps. Our pre-school,

school-age, residential and service coordination programs never stop innovating.

It can be as simple as learning to raise one’s hand in a classroom or helping to make dinner in

one of the five Mary Cariola homes. Magic happens every day at Mary Cariola…in many

places and in many ways.

Each child has gifts and abilities they love to share…Mary Cariola makes sure each child has

the opportunity to discover and share these very unique gifts.

 

 

About Our Founder

 

Mary Pulvino was born in Pennsylvania and moved to

Rochester with her family when she was preschool age. In Rochester, Mary’s family lived in a community of Italian American immigrants. As a young teen, Mary played the role as interpreter or advocate for neighbors who had difficulty communicating in this “foreign” culture. So her pattern of “fighting for rights” started long before she became the leader of an idea that was to become The Mary Cariola Children’s Center.

 

Mary worked as a deputy employment certification officer for the Rochester Board of Education and later as a caseworker for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Through these experiences she learned aboutdiscrimination, about abject poverty and unacceptabletreatment of children, and she learned how to fight forthose who needed help in getting their needs met.

 

In 1944 Mary’s sister, Jeanette Borelli, gave birth to “Butchie,” who was born with severe

developmental and physical disabilities. During his preschool years, his family was able to care

for him at home. However, when he reached school age, the family learned that there was

no place for him to go to school.

 

Although Mary was in her fifties and ready to retire to Florida, this was an “injustice” she could

not ignore. She banded with six other families in similar situations, and they started The Day

Care Center for Handicapped Children.

 

Mary’s experience taught her how to network through the community to gain support for her

cause. She was not afraid to knock on doors and ask for help. Despite quite a bit of prejudice

that reflected the attitude “Why bother?” her tenacity and commitment broke ground for the

ideas exemplified today in the ADA.

 

Mary believed right from the beginning that the center should take any mentally handicapped

child no matter what physical handicaps they had. That basic premise still exists today.

Mary was active on the MCCC Board of Directors until her death in 1987. Her nephew

Butchie died in 1967. They renamed the agency Mary Cariola Children’s Center in 1977 in

honor of Mary’s dedication and commitment to having the highest quality innovative educational

programs and small group homes for children with severe disabilities.

Mission

Mary Cariola Children's Center provides the highest quality individualized services for children

with developmental delays and especially for those with complex or multiple disabilities. The

Center is dedicated to excellence in family-centered educational, residential, therapeutic and

community support services and to developing program initiatives for emerging populations of

children with special needs.

 

Vision

 

Mary Cariola Children's Center is recognized statewide for excellent collaborative and

innovative programs designed to expand the learning opportunities and enrich the lives of

children with developmental delays. Dedicated and caring staff, families, and volunteers,

reflecting the diversity of our community, will ensure that the best of individualized services are

available to all children with multiple or complex needs and those at risk of developing

disabilities.