(Photo courtesy Fauntleroy UCC)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
New public-health requirements have dealt a body blow to a venerated West Seattle institution – Little Pilgrim School.
In a letter yesterday to parents, the leaders of Fauntleroy Church announced that the United Church of Christ congregation was closing its 68-year-old preschool.
“The programmatic, financial, staffing, and health and safety gaps between what we are able to do and what we would have to do to begin preschool this fall are great and accompanied by many significant unknowns,” the letter said.
Even if the school were to open in the fall with full enrollment, overwhelming changes would have been needed to meet COVID-19 guidelines, the letter continued. They included cutting class size in half, shortening the day to allow for extra cleaning, and greatly reducing the cooperative play that is central to how young children learn.
Parents initiated Little Pilgrim as a ministry of the church in 1952 to serve families with children whose birth dates kept them from starting public kindergarten at age five. The following year it shifted to a preschool program for four-year-olds and later added classes for twos and threes.
Over the years, Little Pilgrim enrolled an estimated 3,700 children, including some second generation. When the school transitioned to online learning in March because of COVID-19, Director Jenny Romischer was leading a staff of four teachers and an aide serving 60 students.
“The legacy of love they have given the children and families of this community over the years is something for which our church will always be thankful,” the letter said.
The church is processing tuition refunds and, in due time, will look at options for using the former classrooms in a different way to serve the community.
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