Calistoga Preschool Faces Closure After 20 Years

Hearts and Hands Preschool, a nonprofit serving low-income families, expects to shut down in March without new funding.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 7:23pm

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Hearts and Hands Preschool, a 24-year-old nonprofit preschool in Calistoga, California, is set to close at the end of March due to lack of funding. The school, which serves 9 preschool students and 15 transitional kindergarteners, charges affordable tuition rates and provides scholarships to about 80% of its students. After losing a key grant five years ago, the school has struggled to secure the necessary funding to stay open.

Why it matters

The potential closure of Hearts and Hands would leave Calistoga with very few child care options, creating a 'child care desert' for local families. Without affordable and accessible preschool options, parents may be forced to leave the workforce or commute long distances to find care, disrupting family routines and financial stability.

The details

Hearts and Hands Preschool operates out of St. Luke's Episcopal Church and has an annual budget of around $80,000. The school charges $1,500 per month for 2-year-olds and $1,100 per month for 3- and 4-year-olds, with most students receiving scholarships. The school also partners with the local school district to provide an after-school transitional kindergarten program. In January, the school informed parents it could only remain open through the end of February without new funding.

  • Hearts and Hands Preschool has served Calistoga families for more than 20 years.
  • In January 2026, the school informed parents it would close at the end of March without new funding.
  • On January 27, 2026, several parents and a school board member appealed to the Calistoga City Council to help keep the school open.

The players

Hearts and Hands Preschool

A 24-year-old nonprofit preschool in Calistoga, California that serves 9 preschool students and 15 transitional kindergarteners.

MaryAnn Salinger

The board president of Hearts and Hands Preschool.

Elizabeth Contreras Ortiz

A parent of a student at Hearts and Hands Preschool.

Erika Lubensky

The executive director of Community Resources for Children, a Napa-based organization that supports child care providers and families.

Calistoga Joint Unified School District

The school district that partners with Hearts and Hands Preschool to provide an after-school transitional kindergarten program.

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What they’re saying

“The possible closure of Hearts and Hands is heartbreaking. It would push Calistoga even deeper into a child care desert, leaving families asking impossible questions. What are we supposed to do? Do we leave our community every day to search for care in St. Helena or Napa? Do we cut work hours, risk our jobs or leave the workforce altogether? When a day care closes, it's not just a service that disappears. It's trust, routine and peace of mind.”

— Elizabeth Contreras Ortiz, Parent

“There's a reason child care is a public good in most developed countries. It is a very expensive and critical service to provide. We have somehow in this country assumed that it's OK for the private sector to take it on when really it's a business that is very hard to manage. Parents pay a lot of money and the people involved don't make a lot of money.”

— Erika Lubensky, Executive Director, Community Resources for Children

What’s next

Following the Calistoga City Council meeting, some private donors committed to contributing funds that will enable Hearts and Hands Preschool to stay open at least through March 2026. The city manager also met with representatives of the school to discuss potential solutions.

The takeaway

The potential closure of Hearts and Hands Preschool highlights the broader challenges facing affordable child care in the United States, where the private sector has been left to shoulder the burden of providing this essential public service. The loss of this community-based, nonprofit preschool would exacerbate the 'child care desert' in Calistoga, forcing families to make difficult choices about work and caregiving.