The Mundelein Cooperative Preschool will close for good this spring, officials announced.
Daily Herald File Photo
A suburban preschool will permanently shut down this spring after 75 years in business.
The Mundelein Cooperative Preschool, 21064 W. Route 176, is closing in May due to low participation. Enrollment dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic and hasn’t recovered, school Director Laura Davenport said.
Once offering classes in the mornings and afternoons, the school has only been offering morning sessions for its 18 students, Davenport said. The staff is down to two teachers, including Davenport.
“It’s been pretty dire for the last year or so,” she said.
The nonprofit school was founded in 1948. It’s operated in different locations through the years but has been in a small, renovated house on Route 176 west of Route 60/83 since 2001.
The school told the public of its pending closure this week in a Facebook post that prompted dozens of responses from the community.
“We will be forever thankful for our daughter’s amazing experience at MCP,” one parent wrote. “MCP was the perfect match for our free spirited child.”
Parent Janet McMahan of Mundelein called the school “an important part of my children’s lives.”
“I am incredibly sad to hear this news,” McMahan said. “MCP will truly be missed.”
Another parent praised the school for serving the community “with dedication and excellence.”
“Thank you to all of those who made an impact on so many little ones and their families,” the parent added.
Davenport said she was “overwhelmed” by the responses.
An end-of-school-year picnic that’ll be open to all former students is planned for 6 p.m. May 23.
Additionally, a clearance sale is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 8. Tables, chairs, cabinets, toys and more will be for sale at this public event.
