About

History

Through the Years

Madonna Learning Center History

  • 1967

    Rooted in prayer and based on the desire of a family with a child that had special needs, in 1967, Robert Winfield, in Memphis Tennessee, wrote a letter to all of the parishes, expressing a need for a school for children with developmental disabilities. He envisioned a school for his son that was faith based and would serve the needs for children with developmental disabilities. Sister Mary Mark Graf, in Evansville Indiana, answered the call. She had experience in this area, having opened a school very similar to what Mr. Winfield was envisioning, Marian Day School, a school who served students with learning disabilities in the Catholic Diocese of Evansville, Indiana. 

  • 1969

    Madonna Learning Center, initially called "Madonna Day School", opened in 1969 with three Benedictine Sisters from Ferdinand, Indiana. The Winfield's vision of a faith-based environment where the cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual and physical developmental needs of children with disabilities could be realized, became a reality.  At the time, this was a ground-breaking concept – many of these children were often institutionalized in that era.

  • 1996

    We opened our doors at Saint Peter’s Home for Children in Midtown with 21 students, later relocating to St. James Catholic Church with 24 students. The current name of Madonna Learning Center was adopted in 1996 when we moved to our current facility at 7007 Poplar Avenue in Germantown.

  • 2019-2020

    The 2019-20 school year marked our 50th year in the Memphis area. We are proud of our faith-based roots and groundbreaking individualized approach for our students. We currently operate the only private independent school in the Mid-South for students ages 4 through adulthood with disabilities that offers a therapeutic environment with a small student to teacher ratio.

  • The Future

    As we look ahead to the future, we envision Madonna Learning Center's campus expanding to include more services and programs for children and adults in the greater community.
7007 Poplar Avenue Germantown, TN 38138 |  Phone: 901-752-5767
Madonna Learning Center provides a nurturing faith-based educational and social environment that empowers children and adults with special needs to reach their full potential while offering support to their families.