Zeh preschool set to move without much communication

Dear Northborough Residents:

A district preschool program has existed at Marion E. Zeh school in Northborough for many years. A similar program has been run at Mary E. Finn School in Southborough.

A recent district decision has been made to move the Northborough preschool program to Southborough in an effort to have more effective specialist services available to all the students in both programs at one location.

Families with children currently enrolled in the preschool received a letter in early February explaining the move, but only after the decision had been made. They were never made aware that this move was a consideration, and feedback was never requested or considered as part of the process.

Many families who registered their child for next year did not receive any communication about this change, but found out through conversations with other parents.

It also seems that the Northborough school committee members were not aware of this decision either.

In addition to the pure lack of communication surrounding the move, questions and concerns among parents in Northboroughhave surfaced.

A major concern is that Northborough is losing its only neighborhood public preschool. During a recent meeting about full day kindergarten, Superintendent of the Northborough and Southborough Public Schools Christine Johnson spoke about the love of our small neighborhood elementary schools in town. This is one reason why many people choose Northborough as a place to raise their family. The option of a public preschool within one of these neighborhood schools has always been a positive option for families.

Parents who made the decision to send their child to the Northborough public preschool now have to rethink that decision and find alternate options for a variety of reasons. This will not be an easy task as most private preschools in the area have a long wait list – sometimes more than a year. Parents who do not want their child at the Southborough preschool location now have to scramble to find an opening in a preschool that was not their first choice.

Increased travelling time for parents is a big reason for parents to reconsider their preschool choice. Families will go from a 5-10 minute drive to preschool to a twenty minute or more drive in order to drop off their child in Southborough. This is further complicated if they have older children already at the elementary level – the bus pick up time of the older child may overlap with the drive time parents now have to Southborough with their preschooler.

Transportation is another concern. Although it will be provided for the children on IEPs, other peers will not have the same opportunity. Many parents also feel uncomfortable with the idea of their young children taking a bus to another town on a daily basis, especially as some of the students have anxiety, social, or transition issues.


All public school classrooms have a combination of students and include those receiving special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan. The preschool is no exception. Some students have disabilities and learning differences and some do not. It’s a great peer environment.

Will that peer environment, however, be affected by the preschool move? Based on the needs of some students, the Southborough preschool option may be the only option. For other parents, they will probably opt for a closer, more convenient preschool. Will there be any typical peers for students with special needs attending Southborough? How will that affect the transition to Kindergarten? Will there be familiar faces if the number of Northborough students is reduced based on families not wanting their child to attend preschool in Southborough?

The next Northborough School Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5 at 7 pm at Melican Middle School library. It is important that we voice our concerns and inform school committee members and the superintendent of the impactthis will have on our families and our town. If you cannot attend the school committee meeting, I urge you to email or call the district office. This decision effects not only those children who were planning on attending Zeh preschool this fall but also all the future preschoolers so please take a minute and let your voice be heard.
Marie Alan director of student support services can be reached via email at malan@nsboro.k12.ma.us or by phone at 508-486-5115 ex 211.

Katie Quarles