Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor
Moreau Community Center is closing its nursery school-preschool program after “close to 40 years,” executive director Donna Nichols tells The Chronicle, largely because of a severe drop in enrollment since South Glens Falls School offered its free Universal Pre-Kindergarten program.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we do it,” Ms. Nichols tells The Chronicle. “Definitely it was not something that we did spur the moment or lightheartedly.
“We have talked about it for a while because the program is not sustainable. We’ve always supported it with revenue from our other programs, because it was a great community program,” and “we’ve kept the cost super low for our families” — just $190 a month for four half days a week, she said.
“But with the onset of the free Universal Pre-K program at South Glens Falls, — and just this last year, it went to full time — our numbers have declined to the point where we can’t sustain paying our teacher the salary that we pay her.”
They are currently serving about 10 students, she said, from a high “back in the day” of 20 or more students, each, in two sessions, morning and afternoon.
Jen Smith — “the beloved Mrs. Smith,” Ms. Nichols specified — has taught the preschool for 30 years, starting just out of school herself, Ms. Nichols noted.
“She’s had a great run.” When they posted the plan to close on Facebook, Ms. Nichols says, “You can’t even believe the love she’s gotten from the community. She’s had generations of kids there.”
“I haven’t personally spoken to any other preschools,” Ms. Nichols said, “but I do know anecdotally that they’re struggling.
“If parents can get a full day of free public school for (their children), they’re going to take that. We don’t blame people.”
She says, “We never wanted to pass the cost on to our families.” They tried going to part-time, four days a week, and Mrs. Smith found a second part-time job elsewhere. “But we can’t just keep bleeding $30,000 a year on the program.”
Ms. Nichols said the pre-school’s focus was “pre-academic and socialization” for 3- and 4-year-olds in a structured classroom setting.
“Our model was never a daycare model, which is what a lot of parents still need. The larger daycares can do that, the daycare and preschool component. They’re in a better place to do that than a program like ours.”
“We’re still very much doing our youth services,” Ms. Nichols says.
She said the Community Center offers before- and after-school care, on a “fee for service,” for elementary and now also UPK students, as well as a paid summer camp for about 100 area children.
It also runs a free backpack program, sending food home on the weekends for 120 South Glens Falls students, funded annually with $30,000 from the South High Marathon Dance. “And then we also have a teenage program that we run at no cost to teenagers and their families.”
The Center will determine the best future use for the preschool space during its strategic planning process this spring.
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