Representatives of Good Shepherd Day Care issued the following statement about the pending closing of the East Shore Child Development Center:
It is with great regret and sadness that Good Shepherd Day Care Center, Inc. announces that their second center, East Shore Child Development Center, will be permanently closing on April 11.
The center has had chronic under-enrollment. Lack of sufficient enrollment has resulted in the center's inability to meet its financial obligations. For the last three years, the administrative staff has struggled to find ways to keep East Shore open. Finally, all of the options have been exhausted.
East Shore opened on Jan. 3, 1978. In the summer of 1980 the center moved to the Fannie Beach Municipal Building where it has remained. The center has been licensed for 40 preschool children. For the last several years, the center has provided care for some children from the West Haven School Readiness Program because that program did not have enough space for all of the children that were eligible for services. With the assistance of staff from the Ct. Office of Early Childhood, alternative program spaces have been made available to the children and families of East Shore.
East Shore has had wonderful staff throughout the last 36 years. One staff member has been there for all 36 years. Several staff members have been there 20 years and more. The center has been accredited and re-accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young children, and has received very high scores.
We are extremely sorry to lose such good staff members and are assisting them in trying to find new positions.