VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Kempsville Presbyterian Church Session will close the KPC Day School at the end of the 2018/2019 school year, leaving families and teachers looking for new preschools and after-school programs in the Virginia Beach area.
The church's governing body informed the KPC Day School Board of the decision in a letter earlier this month, citing "plans for the physical building" and expansion opportunities. The letter also thanked teachers for their service.
Parents and teachers said they were shocked by the news. Some joined a "Save KPC Day School" Facebook page to discuss the news and to explore if there is any way to keep the preschool open for years to come.
"For them to close it down it's like pulling a piece of your heart out," Laurie Galdo, former KPC Day School teacher, said.
Galdo said the school has had a tremendous impact on the Kempsville community for 37 years.
“The teachers loved their job, they loved what they were doing and they loved the children and it’s hard to find a place that’s like that," she said.
Her daughter went to preschool at KPC Day and she was hoping her granddaughter would go there in a few years, but now she said she's heartbroken that won't happen.
Galdo said she feels for the parents who now have to scramble to find a new daycare for their children, and she believes the school's closing will be a huge loss for the community.
"I wish it would stay open," Galdo said. "A chapter is closing and things are changing and not always for the better."
The organizer of the Facebook page and other parents said they are in communication with church leaders and would like to wait to comment on the closing of the school.
KPC Day School Chairman Nancy Grice said KPC Session's decision in the letter still stands. She said the administration decided the "church needs to change the layout of the inside of the building to meet the current needs of the congregation."