Dear Cottage Lake Presbyterian Preschool Families:

Whether you are a current CLPP family or CLPP alumni you are connected to Cottage Lake Presbyterian Preschool and we would like to update you all on our current status:

When the pandemic began in March 2020, we had to close our doors. Our teachers provided virtual gatherings for the children for the last few months of the school year, but it certainly was not how anyone had expected the year to end. Through the generosity of many preschool families who donated their tuition dollars as they were able, we were able to continue to pay our staff through the end of the school year. Thank you again to all of you for making it possible to retain our teachers; they are amazing people and essential to CLPP.

Fortunately, Alicia agreed to take on the director role when Kristy retired. Because of the pandemic, she was navigating uncharted waters in her new position. She worked closely with the teachers and the preschool board (Pastor Scott Anthony, CLPC members Sandi Long and Brian Smith, and Kristy Thayer as a consultant.)

Without in-person preschool classes, we had to devise a plan to keep staff and building ready to return on short notice. CLPC shared seven thousand dollars from their Payroll Protection Loan with the preschool in August. We have been able to continue to pay our staff and prepare for a safe reopening. Teachers have been providing weekly zoom meetings for their classes, and a number of our families committed to paying a monthly fee to help keep our doors ready to open. Again, we are so grateful for this generous support. With careful conservation and minimal spending, we have been able to cover expenses so far.

We would love to keep our program alive. We have been a community outreach program for more than 45+ years, and we have had a positive impact on the lives of so many children and families. We get many students who are children of educators because their parents understand and appreciate the value of our program philosophy “Learning Through Play.”

Eventually this pandemic will end, and we would really like to still be here when it does! If you have fond memories of your children going to CLPPreschool or you just appreciate our outreach into the community—please consider making a donation of any size. Cottage Lake Presbyterian Church and Preschool is a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation, so your donation is tax deductible and the difference you could make for our little school is huge.