Antioch parents search for solutions to save nonprofit preschool

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) -- A preschool in Antioch is battling to stay open.

The nonprofit is a vital part of the community where a lot of parents can't afford the high cost of private preschool.

An emergency meeting was held Wednesday night where parents searched for a solution.

"These kids would be at a severe disadvantage if this school closed down in this area," said Karen Lober, a parent.

Tuition for almost all 300 students at the Kid's Club Preschool is subsidized by state and federal funding. The Antioch Unified School District, which owns the property, says it is not renewing the school's lease.

"Probably, she'll just have to stay home," said Patricia Nunes, a parent. "We won't have anywhere to go. There's not enough preschools in the area."

"I was surprised. Six months in this school, he was ready to speak English and that's a big thing for my kid," said Saleem Kabirjuyan, a parent.

At Wednesday night's meeting, parents were encouraged to write letters to their elected officials.

"City government, county government, district government, everybody needs to get involved with this problem because it is a community problem," said Mark Mokski, Kidz Club executive director.

Over the past year, the school has been searching for a new home, but so far they haven't found a comparable facility, and time is running out. The lease is up at the end of July.

The school district wants use the Kidz Club School for about 70 special needs students.

"And they have state and federal requirements to house those special education students and they can't ignore those requirements," said Addison Covert, attorney for the Antioch Unified School District.

"The way that you reduce special education expenditure is by a high quality preschool," Mokski said.

The district has no legal obligation to renew the lease, but the school says it has a moral obligation.