After 50 years, Walker Chapel Preschool is shutting down due to a steady decline in enrollment.
Walker Chapel Preschool is a school for children ages 2-5 attached to Walker Chapel United Methodist Church at 4102 North Glebe Road. Suzanne Romness, director of Walker Chapel Preschool, said the decision to shut down the school was heartbreaking for students and staff at the program.
“The church leadership decided to close the preschool,” Romness said. “Our enrollment was lower in recent years than it’s been.”
Romness said the program has been around for at least 50 years. Her son went to the school and she started teaching in 2013, when he son was four, then took over as director in 2021.
The small size was part of the school’s charm. Romness said the school currently has 24 students with class sizes of eight students.
It’s the best pre-school around,” Romness said. “It’s a small pre-school, three classes, but you get to know everyone. You get to know the teachers. It’s a nice, small, cohesive group of parents and kids, mostly from the neighborhood.”
While early childcare is in high demand in the area, Romness said part of Walker Chapel Preschool’s low enrollment was it’s school format wasn’t the all-day childcare that’s in such high demand.
“What most families are looking for is all-day care, morning and afternoon,” Romness said. “We don’t have that. We’re a traditional pre-school. we start at 9:15 a.m. and end at 12:45 p.m. A lot of people want longer.”
Romness said she didn’t have a say in the school’s closure. The school’s last day will be on June 13.
“We’re super sad,” Romness said. “This is the best neighborhood school around… It’s very sad.”
Photo via Walker Chapel Preschool/Facebook
