Brookline Teacher Asks Brookline To Save the BSSCC Pre-School

BROOKLINE, MA — A teacher has taken the fight to save the childcare center for children of public school employees to GoFundMe, the online crowd source fundraising site.

The preschool, which is not run or a part of the public school system, has been using space at the old Baldwin School for at least the past two decades. The district is asking that they leave by the end of the school year so that it can start repurposing the building for office space or BEEP classrooms.

So far, only a dozen people have donated$1,800 of the $300,000 goal.

"I'm asking for your support to save the BSSCC, the childcare center that serves the children of Brookline Public School employees," Brookline High School teacher Katie Leslie said in a Facebook post asking more people to donate noting that both of her children attended the preschool. "BSSCC is the reason that I was able to continue to lead major programs at BHS, even after the birth of my kids. I wouldn't have been able to co-teach the Racial Awareness class, advise the GSA, or help organize the LGBTQ Day of Dialogue without the childcare support provided by the BSSCC."

The Brookline Schools Staff Children's Center researched putting a bid on a vacant town-owned home near Larz Anderson Park. It looked promising — until it became clear that lack of parking and dropping off children on that busy street would just not work. Now they're back to the drawing board, and the district is insisting they leave by June 2020.

Officials from the school met with district officials Thursday, Oct. 17, to get help to finding a new location, since they've been at the Baldwin for some 26 years.

But school committee and department officials told them because of space and budgetary constraints facing the Brookline Schools - the district is combating rising enrollment and lack of space - they couldn't help.

The day care may only have a few dozen children, but those behind it say the impact is felt by everyone who has children in the system.

"Our existence helps the town of Brookline hire and retain young teachers," said the center's Director Jane Pinto in an email to Advisory Committee members in December. "Its reputation among teachers is so strong that the program enrolls almost entirely by word of mouth. Commonly, older mentor teachers or department heads refer BSSCC to younger colleagues."

The center's tuition, which runs less than $2,000 per child per month, pays the director, six teachers and 10 teaching assistants, according to the website.

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Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).