'AIEA — St. Timothy's Children's Center this week abruptly announced it will be closed indefinitely at the end of the month, leaving many stunned parents scrambling for scarce preschool spots for their children.

Officials with the Children's Center board of directors and the vestry of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church told parents and teachers in a meeting Tuesday night that it decided to close the school for renovations on June 30, at which time teachers and staff will be laid off.

Whether the renovated facility would be reopened as a preschool is unclear, officials said. The preschool has been in operation for about 30 years.

Nearly 80 students were on the latest planned enrollment list for the coming school year — which was to begin in late July — and the preschool has a staff of 18, said the Rev. Prof. Gregory Johnson, of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church.

Some parents said they were shocked and upset.

"Realistically there are no schools with vacancies at this late stage," said Cheryl Cudiamat, whose 2- and 3-year-old sons were supposed to attend St. Timothy's in the coming year. "So some of us are like, 'Man, do we have to stay home now because we have to watch our kids?' It's a really big hardship."

Cudiamat said parents are also concerned for the teachers.

Liz Chun, executive director of Good Beginnings Alliance, said it may be difficult for parents to find available preschool slots, saying many programs are at 96 percent capacity or higher and have waiting lists.

"But there are always slots opening up, so I encourage parents to call," Chun said. "Children move and parents change their minds about different places, and it could be with this opening that maybe some schools will try to expand their capacity, so I would definitely give it a try."

In a letter to parents and faculty, Children's Center board president Dr. Edmund Whang and Karen Huston, senior warden at St. Timothy's Church, said the school would close for "long overdue renovations" and that officials are compiling a list of schools with vacancies.

They said closing the school was a difficult decision but that it was in the children's best interest to close now rather than risk closure mid-year, and that having construction with preschoolers nearby would be too dangerous. They said the school is in the process of obtaining an architect to determine the extent and cost of repairs and that it would be best if all repairs were made at one time, subject to the availability of funding.

The letter also left the future of the preschool unclear.

"While (St. Timothy's Children's Center) may reopen, we do not know whether it will be a Children's Center under the aegis of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church or whether the Church will lease the facility to an operator or a pre-school/day care," the letter said.

"It also is possible that the Church may choose to use the facilities for a different mission."

At least some parents were skeptical that the school needed to close for renovations and said they haven't noticed any problems or heard complaints about the facilities.

"I don't think that's the real reason," said parent Jeff Pang, whose 4-year-old son was supposed to attend St. Timothy's in the coming school year. "Nothing really seems badly damaged. ... If anything, just minor repairs. Nothing that couldn't have been done during the summer interim."

Some parents said the closure follows a difficult period for the preschool, including the expiration of its accreditation this year. Parents had expressed to the board concerns about management of the school under executive director Dianne Lim, including what the parents felt was insufficient communication.

Lim did not respond to requests seeking comment yesterday. Whang and Huston could not be reached for comment.

Asked if there were other reasons behind the decision to close the school, Johnson said: "Not to my knowledge."

"The decision as far as I know was due to the need to renovate and the fact that ... we couldn't just close one wing at a time," said Johnson, an ex-officio board member. He said it's been "a long time" since any major renovations were made to the preschool.

Johnson didn't immediately have details about specific renovations that were needed but said "the board decided that rather than wait until it became a Department of Health issue, that the proactive thing would be to address these concerns now, sooner rather than later."

Kathy Murphy, executive director of the Hawai'i affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, said the Hawai'i association worked with St. Timothy's on renewing its accreditation with the NAEYC.

The preschool eventually decided not to pursue reaccreditation, Murphy said. About 25 percent of preschools in Hawai'i are accredited, she said.