BHN’s foundations can be traced to the late 1950’s, when a group of Brown Memorial Church families acknowledged the need for a mother’s group in the area. Eventually their group grew into a cooperative nursery school that served the needs of both working and non-working parents. Bolton Hill Nursery was officially founded in 1969.
In the mid-1980s, Bolton Hill Nursery became an independent, non-religious, non-profit school utilizing a play-based philosophy of learning. In December 2012, the BHN board made the decision to purchase our current building, the former home of Family and Children's Services. Importantly, the building boasts a big yard perfect for children’s outdoor discovery and spacious, bright, “homey” rooms ideal for indoor investigation.
Our Staff
2022-2023
Office & Administration


Francine (She/Her) is an early childhood specialist with experience in professional development and teacher preparation. She has been a teacher of pre-k, kindergarten and primary grade students in New York, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. She is passionate about early childhood education, especially through creating environments that are inviting, engaging and culturally responsive for young children. She has been a staunch advocate for social justice her entire life and is always striving to be better. She has extensive experience teaching in higher-education and has been an instructor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education as well as the University of Maryland. Originally trained as an artist, Francine holds a BFA in fine arts from Pratt Institute and an MS in early childhood education from Bank Street College of Education. Francine is especially passionate about play-based learning, which is why she feels right at home at Bolton Hill Nursery. Francine has two grown children – a stepdaughter who teaches 2nd grade in Baltimore County and a son who is an aspiring filmmaker living in Brooklyn, NY – and a partner, Don, who is a former lawyer/investment banker who currently works with mentoring college students in Baltimore. In her spare time, Francine loves to paint, garden, cook, travel, and spend time with her family.

Becky (She/Her) is a proud midwesterner who came to Baltimore to attend Goucher College. Through friends and a love of the city she knew she could call this city her home. Though her focus in college was on art, working with children has always been a part of her life. She has been at BHN since 2015 and in 2020, she decided to take on the role as Assistant Director of Operations. Outside of BHN, Becky is a true gourmet and loves to host her friends and try new foods and new restaurants around Baltimore. She lives with her husband and two cats, Mo and Max. She can often be found around BHN singing a song, wondering what she was thinking, and sipping her coffee. She loves working with children two to five because they’re at such a formative age. She is always amazed at their growth and development and feels joyful she gets to be a part of it.


Leigh (She/Her) grew up in Richmond, Virginia where she studied marketing and English at Virginia Commonwealth University, and then earned her MBA at the University of Richmond. After college she worked in the coal industry, focusing on market research and commodities trading, where she claims to have “sold coal to Santa Claus.” Leigh’s acquaintance with BHN began well before her time as the financial administrator. Both her sons are alumni and she served on the board of directors when BHN purchased its current building. When she isn’t crunching the numbers in the front office or keeping up with her boys, Leigh enjoys baking, soccer, spending time outdoors, or just relaxing with a good book. Leigh describes the continued appeal of BHN as a “magnetic pull” that has kept her close to the community over the years.


Kateri (They/She) is a born and bred Baltimorean from Lauraville! Kateri likes to call Bolton Hill a second home, as they grew up attending Memorial Episcopal Church and acting in many of the Memorial Players shows. She recently graduated with a Master's in Theatre Directing from the University of London Royal Holloway and loves all things logistics, planning, and artistic. Kateri aspires to be the first American on the Great British Bake Off, but will settle for directing their own version from the comfort of her home kitchen!
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