Bonnie Benedict Preschool Faces Uncertain Future

NEWBERG, Ore. — Bonnie Benedict Preschool, an early childhood program operated by the Chehalem Park and Recreation District, may close at the end of the school year due to sustained low enrollment and the deteriorating condition of its building.

Although the preschool was initially left out of the district’s draft budget, CPRD Superintendent Clay Downing said the decision to close the program is not yet final.

Staff notified the CPRD Board of Directors at a March 27 meeting of their intent to shut down both the preschool and pre-K program this summer. However, the board later amended the draft budget to temporarily restore funding, allowing more time for discussion without requiring a supplemental budget next fiscal year.

Downing said the program has been under review for nearly three years, particularly as enrollment declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and failed to recover to sustainable levels.

“Primarily, the district has evaluated enrollment and cost recovery as standards for evaluation,” Downing said. “Right now, total enrollment is 17 children. For the programs to be sustainable, we would expect approximately 55 total students.”

The school currently includes two preschool classes and one pre-K group.

Newberg resident Laura Adams said the flexibility of options, including half-day enrollment, was a major factor in her decision to sign her child up for programming. She also sought a more affordable school option, as well as a secular learning environment that some area private preschools do not offer.

“With Bonnie Benedict being part of CPRD, we had a sense of assurance knowing the program was overseen by a larger organization with the checks and balances that come with such oversight,” she said.

Efforts to grow enrollment have struggled. According to Downing, the aging facility has emerged as a key factor. The building requires major renovations, including new siding, windows, sections of the roof, and other internal and external upgrades.

“It is felt that the aging facility in which the program is located is the primary problem impacting enrollment,” Downing said. “While adequate, [it is] not as desirable as other preschool and pre-K programs available in our area.”

Adams acknowledged the state of the building, but feels the lack of marketing may be a greater factor in low enrollment.

“The building is a deterrent, but I don’t believe it to be the primary reason for low attendance,” Adams said. “When I speak to other parents in the community, they don’t know the program exists; if they do, they’re under the impression it is expensive or full, so they haven’t looked into the program as an option.”

Downing said CPRD staff have explored alternative models and locations but have yet to find a viable option that meets the program’s needs. A pause in enrollment and marketing, coupled with growing uncertainty, has made it difficult to plan for the 2025–26 school year.

Newberg resident Emily-Grace Cropper-Russel said she has a child enrolled at Bonnie Benedict who attends three days a week. She and Adams both said they were not aware of the potential closure prior to a letter sent out in March.

“We will have another preschool-aged child in a couple of years,” Cropper-Russel said. “I planned to have them attend Bonnie Benedict since we’ve had a great experience there, and it fits into our budget. Without Bonnie Benedict, I don’t know where we’ll be able to send our youngest.”

Cropper-Russel said that for her family, it’s the best quality-for-cost option in town and one of the most affordable.

“Our kiddo often comes home and tells us all about what they’ve learned and the fun projects they’ve worked on,” she said. “The teachers obviously care for the kids and enjoy spending time with them.”

Bonnie Benedict Preschool’s tuition is well below the average cost of childcare in the state. According to a report from KGW conducted in April 2024 including 40 child care centers in the Portland metro area, tuition averaged around $1,167 per month for part time care to $1,680 per month for full time care.

According to TOOTRIS, a child care reserach development platform, the average full-time preschool tuition in Yamhill County costs approximately $950 per month in 2025.

Locally, The Good Life Preschool — which operates a Dundee location and a satellite program in Newberg — charges $928 per month for three days a week at the Dundee school. The Newberg location, operating out of the Chehalem Cultural Center, charges $495 monthly for the same schedule. The Good Life also requires a $150 registration fee to hold a child’s place on the waiting list for the family’s preferred schedule.

Bonnie Benedict charges $230 per month for in-district residents and $240 for out-of-district residents, based on a three-day-a-week schedule. The school also collects a $35 registration fee in addition to the first month’s tuition.

The Newberg-Dundee School District’s Tiger Cubs Preschool offers free preschool for 4-year-olds but has income requirements. For example, a household of four must earn less than $93,600 annually to qualify for the grant-funded program.

CPRD plans to discuss the program’s future at its April 24 board meeting. Downing said that while some families have voiced support, staff have received only a few inquiries about enrollment in recent months.

If the preschool closes, all currently enrolled students would finish the school year, and program staff would be reassigned to CPRD’s school-age daycare services.

From Downing’s perspective, long-term sustainability hinges on community support and a major facility upgrade.

“In my opinion, we would need to see a boost in enrollment, which would indicate we are delivering the sort of program that the community needs and wants,” he said. “We believe this can be done most readily through a major renovation.”

Bonnie Benedict Preschool is named after longtime educator Bonnie May Benedict, who developed Newberg’s first preschool program in 1966 at the request of the then newly formed Chehalem Park and Recreation District. At a time when public schools did not offer kindergarten, Benedict led the early childhood program for more than three decades. She retired in 1998 and died in 2019 at age 95.

The CPRD board will discuss the proposed changes to preschool and pre-K programming during its meeting Thursday, April 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. Residents can attend in person or virtually.