Harlem's Riverside Church announces Weekday School closure. Families are fighting to reverse the decision.
NEW YORK — Families in Morningside Heights are rallying to save the nursery school inside the historic Riverside Church of New York.
The church announced this week it would close the Weekday School after serving neighborhood children ages 2-5 for 95 years.
"What does that say to the Harlem community?"
"The teachers are one-of-a-kind," said Erin Amato, whose two daughters attend. "It's not just a school for them. It's a home."
Church member Kristi Giles homeschooled her daughters before it was time for the youngest to enroll.
"The Weekday has actually changed our mind about school," Giles said. "It's got free play, art classes, music, everything that we would hope for in a school, and we've just been overblown by the positive experience we've had."
The mothers were among the parents blindsided by news that the church board voted to close the school next summer.
"The reason we come to this church is because it's a social justice church, and if you're taking away a cornerstone of child care, what does that say to the Harlem community?" asked Giles.
"They have certainly weathered many financial storms over the last almost century, and why now?" added Amato. "Why without an appeal to the community?"
Change.org petition started to save Weekday School
Riverside Church responded in a statement, saying in part, "The decision to close the School was extremely difficult and only made after careful consideration over several years. A number of factors, including free pre-k and declining enrollment, have significantly impacted the ability of the School to continue and to fulfill its mission."
New York state marks parts of Morningside Heights as a child care desert, with more than 10 children for each available day care slot. That is just one reason families are scrambling to save the school.
"The admissions processes for private and public schools are coming to a close in a few weeks, and it will ultimately impact the families who receive financial assistance the most, going against the core mission of the church," Amato explained.
The parents are collecting signatures on a Change.org petition, aiming to change the minds of the church board.
"Our current parents are alumni of the school," said Amato. "The investment is real."
They hope for a reversal of the vote to keep the school open for another century of child care.
The Change petition has collected more than 500 signatures since it launched on Monday. To sign, click here.
A letter to the congregation
Jean Schmidt, the church's council chair, sent the following letter addressed to congregation members:
"On behalf of the Riverside Church Council, I am writing in response to concerns and questions raised during the past week about the Weekday School closure.
By way of background, before the pandemic, Weekday had a much more robust enrollment. After the pandemic and with the passage of free pre-K, our enrollment dropped significantly, and we have yet to bring the enrollment numbers back to a sustainable level. Because of low enrollment, the school suffers from significant financial losses and has been running at a deficit for a number of years now. Consequently, the Church Council has been considering the future of the Weekday School for the last four years. Before deciding to close the school, we took steps to try and revitalize the School by cutting expenses, consolidating space and increasing our marketing and communications efforts, all in an attempt to help the School become sustainable again.
Unfortunately, while the enrollment has increased, we are still far below the numbers necessary for us to break even and our enrollment projections not large enough to bridge the financial gap in the near term. In short, the financial challenges faced by The Weekday School are not going away and thus the Council made the very difficult decision to close the School.
Once the decision was made, we felt it important to notify the Weekday School families so they would have the opportunity to apply to other schools, understanding that the application deadline for a significant number of private schools is early January. We also asked the Head of School and the staff to assist families in finding another school to continue their child's preschool education. We understand and are grateful to hear that many of these local private schools have offered to extend their application deadlines in order to accommodate our Weekday School families.
Many people have asked what we intend to do with the space now occupied by the School. Let me first say that despite what you may have heard, we do not intend to lease the space to Columbia, and the decision to close the School has nothing to do with Columbia or making the space available for rental. The specific use(s) of that space has not yet been determined, but it will be used for Church related programs and/or services. The specific programs and services will be determined by our program commissions and clergy.
We too celebrate the legacy of The Weekday School, and we value the feedback and care and concern we have received from you. To create a space where we can discuss your concerns, we will be scheduling a Congregational Forum after the new year.
Merry Christmas and our Best Wishes for the New Year!"
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