CANFIELD — After 60 years of providing education to children ages 2 to 5, Ursuline Preschool and Kindergarten will close at the end of this school year.

The decision comes after the school revealed that the income the school receives through tuition dollars is not enough to cover the school’s educational expenses.

“This subsidy has been provided in a variety of ways: through a very modest stipend paid to sisters, little rent payment for the use of the facility which the Ursuline Sisters built, and, in recent years, improving wages and benefits for teachers and assistants,” Sister Mary McCormick said in a statement on the Ursuline Sisters website.

“The Ursuline Sisters are no longer able to shoulder this expense. Moreover, parents today have numerous options for preschool and kindergarten education, including the Early Childhood Learning Centers at several Catholic parishes in the area (St. Christine, St. Joseph, St. Charles, St. Luke and Holy Family),” McCormick stated.

The school opened in the fall of 1963 and was staffed by Ursuline Sisters to establish a Catholic program, as there were no comparable preschool programs in the area at the time. In its 60-year history, McCormick said the school has serviced thousands of children and generations of families.

“The Sisters and lay teachers who have staffed and directed the program have served the school with distinction. We are incredibly proud of the work and commitment of the current administration and staff,” McCormick said.

Administrators and school staff assured that the school will continue providing a quality education as they await the school’s closure at the end of the school year.

“We are grateful to the UPSK families for their support of our administration and staff, and to each other during this difficult time. We will also provide information and referrals for other Catholic schools,” McCormick said.

“Further, we thank parents for entrusting their children to the care of Ursuline Preschool and Kindergarten. While we are saddened at the closing of the school, we are consoled by the good that has been the heritage of UPSK since 1963.”