Love Me Tender preschool to close this summer

After 24 years offering special education to preschoolers, Love Me Tender on Johnson Avenue plans to close at the end of this school year.

Founder and Principal Susan Goldman attributed the move to a difficult financial situation and her own wish to retire.

“The business was very different when we started. And I was not in my first job when we started it,” said the educator, who will be 71 this month.

Love Me Tender has operated as a private organization overseen by the New York State Department of Education to provide special education services and therapy to children from ages 2 years and 9 months to 5.

“All of our funding is tuition from the city. We do not have any other area of income, so that any family whose child needs special education services has those services available without additional cost from the parents,” Ms. Goldman explained.

The school currently welcomes 76 students every day, with 12 children, one teacher and two teaching assistants per class. The number of enrolled children may change from week to week as new students enroll and others graduate or transfer to another program better adapted to their needs. Children can start at any point during the school year. 

“Sometimes the kids can leave in the midst of the preschool program and go to a regular preschool for children without special needs and be integrated into the classroom, which is always our goal,” Ms. Goldman said.

Love Me Tender recently informed parents that children not graduating this school year will be placed elsewhere starting Friday, July 1. The administrators for special education at NYC’s district 10 office will contact them.

Ms. Goldman said all of her teaching staff has master’s degrees in special education for preschoolers. She said “agencies have already started calling to enroll them in their programs.”

Love Me Tender was founded in 1992 by Ms. Goldman and her husband Richard. The school has offered language, physical and occupational therapy and services are in English and Spanish. 

Ms. Goldman said she and her husband named the school after the famous Elvis Presley song, pointing out the second refrain: “Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled.” 

“That’s a goal we would have for every child and we think we have done a good job doing that,” she added.

The principal said Love Me Tender’s last day will be on Wednesday, June 22.