Mother saddened by closing of Gridley Preschool

Dear Editor:

I am deeply saddened and troubled by the closing of the Gridley Preschool (formerly run by the Recreation Department). My 4-year-old daughter attended the school this year and blossomed. Not only was the quality of the program excellent, but the teachers had a special gift for understanding young children. Whether it was when they played with them in the snow or rolled down the grassy hills at Pequitside, I was always impressed with the ways in which the teachers were directly involved with the preschoolers. I feel that the unraveling of the program has not been accurately portrayed in a public forum, which has prompted this writing.

For those unfamiliar with the Gridley community, it appears as though the school closed because all of the teachers left and no students signed up. It is not that simple. The teachers, at least one of which had been at the school for 25 years, requested health and Social Security benefits. When the Recreation Department denied the request, the teachers understandably decided to seek other employment opportunities — employment where their skills would be deemed more valuable and worthy of benefits.

At that point in time, there was a list of 17 children signed up for next year. These families were told that even though there were no teachers and the tuition was going to double (ironically double the tuition to pay for new teachers with benefits), they would need 10 families to make a month’s tuition deposit in order for the program to continue. Not surprisingly, no family wanted to put forth a large sum of money to a school that had no teachers and a questionable future.

Now the assumption is that there are no students signed up and therefore no need to hire teachers and keep the school open. I understand that the school needs to be solvent. I believe that if the teachers had been given benefits, they most likely would have stayed. Enrollment would have been sufficient and the program would have survived.

The lack of transparency and desire to continue offering preschool services to the children of Canton is disheartening. The Gridley has taught, educated, and nurtured our children for 25 years. It deserved more of a fight to try and keep it open.

The Recreation Department does not realize how phenomenal the program was at the Gridley. It is a shame and a loss for the town that they have let it go.

Sincerely,

Christine Trendell

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