READ: Documents Cite Lack of Parent Involvement for Preschool Closing

A declining amount of parental involvement at the in Sykesville was a driver in church leadership’s decision to suddenly close the preschool this spring, according to documents obtained by Patch.

The in Sykesville announced its closing earlier this month with little notice, according to its website, leaving parents to scramble for preschool care in the fall.

It will close on Thursday, May 31.

In a letter to parents, John V. Blessing, the president of the Faith Lutheran Church Servant Leadership Team, wrote that a combination of factors have lessened parental involvement at the preschool, including regulations that barred parents from working one-on-one with children.

The church also saw declining membership in the preschool, as competitors offered “longer programs, extended day care and more convenient pick up and drop off programs,” changes the church didn’t want to make.

“The decision resulted from a combination of declining enrollment, a mission that seemed increasingly misaligned with parents’ needs, and the lack of sufficient volunteer support,” Blessing wrote. “We know this is an extremely difficult decision for our FCDC staff members to accept, some of whom have been with us for over 10 years.”

Eldersburg and Skyesville area residents said they were stunned by the decision.

“It was a shock to the center staff and all the families,” wrote Rebekah Hanson on the Eldersburg Patch Facebok page.

Another reader called it the “end of an era.”

The is an arm of the , which opened in 1977, according to the church website. The church moved to its current location in 1990, and the development center opened in 2002, according to the site.

The center is a private Lutheran organization that offers a Christian-based learning program for children ages 2 through pre-K, according to i.

The curriculum of the development center, offered through Faith Lutheran Church, includes story time, circle time, activities for developing large motor and small motor skills, art activities and chapel time, according to the listing.

See full letters from the church above, and tell us in comments how the preschool closing has affected you.