Peanuts Nursery School To Reopen Due To 'Overwhelming' Support

FARMINGDALE, NY — Peanuts Nursery School in Farmingdale is slated to reopen in September after previously announcing the coronavirus pandemic had caused its closure. The preschool was given a "fighting chance" thanks to a GoFundMe that has raised over $18,000 as of Thursday afternoon. The nursery is slated to reopen Sept. 14, it wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

"Due to the overwhelming community support and ongoing GoFundMe page, we are excited to announce that Peanuts Nursery School is planning to reopen," the page says.

The school has openings in its 2, 3 and 4-year-old classes for mornings and afternoons. Parents and guardians can call 516-420-3727 to register.

The GoFundMe was launched June 15. You can donate to Peanuts here.

"Our children are everything, plain and simple," wrote Rich Michals, who organized the fundraiser. "The teachers they see every day at a young age bring out their smiles and joy, hearts and life. Peanuts in Farmingdale is an icon of 30 years, many of the teachers have been there over 25 years, they're not getting rich monetarily, but our children are getting rich, that's for sure. Rich in life and love. The feasibility of Peanuts staying in business after this pandemic is sliding by the day. Farmingdale is a very diverse community as are the loving children that attend; save our schools and save our kids and their innocence of love."

Peanuts has one year left on its lease at its 202 Main St. address, the business wrote Aug. 13. The school said it was exploring the potential of moving into another "local" building.

At one point, Peanuts had announced its closure after three decades in the village.

"This decision was not made lightly and we are heartbroken over it," directors Sandy Smith and Anne Cacciola wrote in a since-updated Facebook post. "We have tried and have exhausted every possible option over these last few months. We apologize for not letting you know sooner, but we gave it a good fight until the very end."

Peanuts has ran since 1991 and served over 3,000 children.