Preschool preps for relocation

Parents, staff and supporters of Play to Learn preschool remain hopeful of convincing St. John the Evangelist Church to extend the school’s lease, but the church’s pastor indicated Tuesday that the preschool will be evicted Sept. 1.”There have been no changes,” the Rev. Thomas Rafferty said Tuesday afternoon. “The decision has been well received within the parish community,” he added.But Preschool Director Lisa King is hoping for the best but preparing for a move.”I’ve told the parents that if we can’t resolve the issue by July, we will let them know,” said King. “I hope (that step) doesn’t happen.”King received a May 23 letter from Rafferty saying that the church wished to terminate the preschool’s lease on Aug. 31. King responded with a plea for a year-long extension where the preschool would share space with the religious education classes.She wrote that “allowing us three month’s notice pretty much guarantees our closure,” citing building requirements which require “many months of applying for permits and licenses.”But Rafferty replied the next day that such an arrangement would “compromise the quality of religious instruction” and urged King to “direct your energies toward finding a new location.”But parents have rallied to the preschool’s support. They started an online petition to send to Rafferty, contacted the media and members of the church. But many also started looking for other options.”We’ve started looking at other preschools, but the Y at Marblehead is full ? said parent Jason Stadtlander. “I know other parents are looking around. But to my knowledge, nobody’s had any luck yet.”Parent Mara Kustra, who has a 9-month-old child in the preschool’s infant program, said that she “didn’t want to think” about what the preschool’s closure would mean.”Really good childcare is hard to find,” Kustra said.Asked about infant programs, she said, “They’re harder to get into and hard to find. There’s not good care out there, unfortunately, that’s why I want Play to Learn to stay.”Kustra said her previous search for childcare took two months. But it also took her six weeks to decide on Play to Learn.She spent time with the school staff, read reviews and developed a care regimen that she wanted the school to follow.She said that one problem with finding childcare in Swampscott or Marblehead was the population’s wealth. Many families hire nannies, or can afford to rely on a single income while the other parent stays at home with the children. Thus, she said there is less demand for childcare services and less places to choose from.The economy also hasn’t helped.King estimated that 15 different preschools in the area have closed down over the past few years. And Play to Learn hasn’t been immune to economic issues.”There were pay discrepancies, employees didn’t get paid the way they were supposed to get paid or at all,” said Shannon Ahearn, who said she worked for Play to Learn’s Salem location in 2009. “I can’t read about poor Lisa King anymore, because if history has taught me, Lisa King only cares for Lisa King.”King acknowledged that the business had to shut down its Salem location Dec. 31, 2009 with short notice due to economic troubles. She also said that some staff were not paid on-time.”At the last minute we weren’t able to meet payroll,” King said.She said that the business was being sold, but the buyer backed out at the last minute after the deposit check bounced, King said. She said that the work wages were paid Monday rather than the previous Friday. She also set up a payment plan with the state Attorney General’s office in order to pay out employee’s vacation time.Adania Fermin, another former employee in Salem whose child also attended the preschool, said that the location closed the last day of 2009 with no notice.”(King) never called the parents personally,” she said. “I heard it from the teachers themselves that the daycare was closed and that the teachers weren’t getting paid. (King) never personally apologized, ne