Dear PSCCC Community,
We are writing to ask for your help, because our beloved Collective is in a bit of a jam. It turns out that the combination of two things which themselves are positives have combined to create a negative outcome: the Collective’s extremely generous policy (unique among our preschool peers) towards parents considering public Pre-K who have their spot at PSCCC held until mid-June has coupled with the large increase in available Pre-K spots this year to create a larger than usual number of 4-year-olds who have decided not to re-enroll or enroll for the Fall. Admissions season is all but over and we are in the same boat as many other preschools in the area who also just lost 4-year-olds to Pre-K, so this “competition” makes it even more challenging than in previous years to fill those slots. Obviously if we are unable to make up most of that lost revenue it could have serious financial consequences, requiring cutbacks that nobody wants to make. Please know that the administration and the Board are doing everything in our power to avoid this but we also need your help.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1) We need an all-out push to fill these slots and we know you all know lots of wonderful four-year-olds! As extra motivation to spread the word, WE ARE OFFERING $1,000 TO ANY CURRENT PSCCC FAMILY THAT BRINGS IN A 4-YEAR-OLD WHO ENDS UP WITH A SIGNED CONTRACT! (Paid for with deposit money forfeited by the new families who just dropped out.) SO, in addition to reaching out to friends and neighbors and colleagues, please rack your brains to think of any listserv that you might post to, letting folks know about these openings at our amazing school. As Martha mentioned in her earlier email on this topic, it is very important to note that we are looking for FOUR-year-olds (so as to maintain a balance of 3s and 4s). Also, you might mention the characteristics that distinguish our school from the others such as the Sept-July schedule, the 8-6 hours which help working families, our commitment to diversity, and our remarkable Collective community.
2) Even if you’ve already reached out to everyone (and every listserv) you know, you can still help PSCCC by taking a moment to write a sentence (or 2 or 3) about why the Collective is special to your family/ what makes it stand out, and email it to our web-goddess extraordinaire (Mila: miladrumke@littlepro.com) so that she can assemble and post to our website. We’re hoping for more web traffic, so thank you Mila for this wonderful idea for a timely upgrade to our site.
This is one of those times when we really need to come together as a community and act Collectively!
Thank you very much in advance for your help.
Your PSCCC Board Members
Jess, Damond, AJ, Tanya, Penny, Meredith, Margaret, Billie, and Aron
PS Here’s a sample blurb for reaching out, but please feel free to tailor it for your uses: Looking for a warm, nurturing, and stimulating preschool? One that accommodates working families with extended hours and an 11-month school year? The Park Slope Child Care Collective has a limited number of openings for 4-year-olds beginning in September 2014. For more information please call us at 718-399-0397 or email us at admissions@psccc.org.