Dear Shirlee Green Preschool Families,
As the information regarding COVID-19 continues to evolve, the safety of our Shirlee Green Preschool children and our staff remains our top priority. After many meetings involving lay leadership, Temple clergy and our professional staff,
the decision has been made to close Shirlee Green Preschool as of 6 p.m. today, March 17th, and remain closed through Thursday, April 30th.
We will continue to monitor recommendations from state and local authorities, as well as guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will provide our Shirlee Green Preschool families with weekly updates regarding the school closure and other useful information. Based on the information provided, if we feel we can safely reopen the preschool prior to the April 30th date, you will be notified immediately.
Soon, you will also receive an email announcement that will be shared with the entire Congregation Shaare Emeth community. This announcement will provide more detailed information regarding the closing of our building and the cancellation, postponement and/or modification to all Temple programming and life cycle events, through April 30th, 2020.
While making these very difficult decisions, Shaare Emeth leadership remains committed to paying our full-time and part-time preschool staff members through the April 30th, 2020 closure. Regarding tuition payments for March and April, we will provide refunds upon request, however we ask that you consider converting your tuition payment to a tax-deductible donation, which will help Congregation Shaare Emeth meet its commitment to our dedicated preschool staff.
We are working closely with Jewish Federation and other community partners and we will be in touch with further information. The decision to close the Shirlee Green Preschool was not made lightly, but with regard for everyone’s health and safety here and in our greater St. Louis community.
As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me. We are hoping everyone stays well and that this situation improves over the next few weeks.
Thank you for your support.
Rosalie R Stein
Interim Early Childhood Engagement Director
