In October, parents received the unwelcome news that the Berkeley Carroll Childcare Center would close (the Methodist Hospital wanted the space back). Now, the Brooklyn Heights Montessori school’s Little Room, which enrolls 27 special needs kids and has been in operation since 1970, is facing demise, according to the NY Times. “Dane L. Peters, the head of school, said that the Little Room does not fit in with Brooklyn Heights Montessori’s future plans, and that the school has been filling a gap between the program’s expenses and reimbursements from the state,” they write. “Tuition for special education students is free.” The school, they say, is harder to get into than Harvard, but apparently works like the ivy league of special needs preschools. Folks on Park Slope Parents have been trading laments over the closing and praising the school, including this testimonial: “The changes that I have seen in my child and in other children there have been nothing short of miraculous. The teachers and therapists at this school are of the highest caliber, and are among the most kind, caring, dedicated people that I have ever known.” The Board of Trustees is meeting tomorrow to vote on The Little Room’s future, and parents encourage others to email Chair of the Board of Trustees Helene Banks and/or head of Brooklyn Heights Montessori Dane Peters.
Prospect of a Beloved Preschool’s Demise Alarms Brooklyn Parents [NY Times]