HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A longtime preschool in Henrico County will close at the end of the month after more than six decades of operation, affecting dozens of families and staff members. Bethlehem Baptist Church announced it is ending its preschool division due to ongoing financial challeng es, a decision that will impact approximately 40 students and eight staff members. Parents and employees say the closure has left them scrambling to find alternatives mid-school year. The preschool space was originally gifted debt-free to Bethlehem Baptist Church in 2021 by Chamberlayne Baptist Church. After receiving the property, Bethlehem Baptist Church assumed full financial responsibility for the preschool and its operations. According to Pastor George Brown, the preschool has been financially unsustainable for several years and operating costs have exceeded tuition revenue for more than three consecutive years, resulting in significant losses. Brown also pointed to rising expenses tied to required building repairs and safety upgrades. In a letter sent to families on November 1, 2025, church officials cited critical repairs and upgrades needed to keep the facility safe and operational, including improvements to heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical systems, and the playground to meet state requirements. Despite efforts to improve enrollment and reduce expenses, church leaders say the program continued to operate at a loss. Parents describe the preschool as a deeply rooted community institution. Michelle Slemmer, whose daughter attends the school, said generations of families attended the school and called its closure especially painful given its long history. “Myself, my three siblings, I know so many people who went to Chamberlayne Baptist Preschool,” Slemmer said.  Assistant teacher and parent Rylee Crandall said they attempted to help keep the program alive.  “We all offered to give up all our holiday pay. The amount of up to $14,000 in savings for [the church], just to let us finish the year,” Crandall said.  However, church officials declined the proposal. She added that the school played a vital role in her family’s life and sense of community. “My girls absolutely love this place. It's all they talk about. All their friends go there. It's how I got back into being in the community after having kids and going through postpartum Depression,” Crandall said. Parents say finding new placements on short notice is difficult.  “It's not easy to find a preschool in the middle of the year,” Slemmer said. “Some of these places that are able to take her, I can't afford.” Church leaders did not disclose a specific dollar amount but said tuition revenue consistently failed to cover operating expenses. In 2024, leadership explored changes such as expanding to a full-day program with after-school care to increase revenue. Church officials said those changes were not pursued by preschool leadership, leaving the program financially unsustainable. Church members ultimately determined that continuing to subsidize the preschool would threaten the church’s long-term financial stability, particularly during a transition to a new facility. Public records show the church sold another property on 1920 Fairmount Avenue for $1.7 million in February 2025. When asked why those funds were not used to keep the preschool open, church officials reiterated that operating the preschool at a loss was not in the church’s long-term interest. Brown did confirm parents who paid for a full year of tuition will be reimbursed, and that this has been communicated to preschool leadership and legal representatives.  After a Preschool Committee meeting on November 12, Brown said preschool directors chose to inform parents and staff of the closure themselves. Shortly afterward, the church received a letter from the preschool’s attorney indicating possible legal action. Brown said, under those circumstances, further meetings were not considered productive. ...read more read less