St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School
To the community,
If you recall, the church moved to close the preschool prior to the start of this school year, due to financial struggles with slowing enrollment. The Governor’s office gave us a grant to continue another year of operation, but then we encountered the ongoing pandemic issues. We had to return the grant since the school was not in operation for many months. The school has used its reserve funds to offer classes this year, as well as pay the staff fully for the months we were closed, so we are fully reliant on tuition to meet expenses. Enrollment has been falling each year.
The leadership of the church has made the difficult decision that May 28, 2021, will be the final day of operation for the school. We find there are fewer people who are able to enroll their child for a three hour a day program, and we have not been financially viable for the past four years.
St Stephen’s Episcopal Day School is proud of the impact we had on so many children and their families for the past 65 years, and we thank the families of those children for trusting us with their children. We have always been proud to offer the finest teachers and strong programs. Teachers, past and present, have been superior and we are blessed with our staff. We were proud to have excellent facilities and activities. We will miss the joyous sounds of children filling our halls.
We join you in your sorrow at this necessary step. We now begin the work to determine how we might meet other needs of children in our community.
Sincerely,
The vestry (leadership board) of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
If you recall, the church moved to close the preschool prior to the start of this school year, due to financial struggles with slowing enrollment. The Governor’s office gave us a grant to continue another year of operation, but then we encountered the ongoing pandemic issues. We had to return the grant since the school was not in operation for many months. The school has used its reserve funds to offer classes this year, as well as pay the staff fully for the months we were closed, so we are fully reliant on tuition to meet expenses. Enrollment has been falling each year.
The leadership of the church has made the difficult decision that May 28, 2021, will be the final day of operation for the school. We find there are fewer people who are able to enroll their child for a three hour a day program, and we have not been financially viable for the past four years.
St Stephen’s Episcopal Day School is proud of the impact we had on so many children and their families for the past 65 years, and we thank the families of those children for trusting us with their children. We have always been proud to offer the finest teachers and strong programs. Teachers, past and present, have been superior and we are blessed with our staff. We were proud to have excellent facilities and activities. We will miss the joyous sounds of children filling our halls.
We join you in your sorrow at this necessary step. We now begin the work to determine how we might meet other needs of children in our community.
Sincerely,
The vestry (leadership board) of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church