Parents Rally to Save Beloved Lorong Chuan Preschool From Closure After 17 Years

After 17 years of nurturing young minds, Pre-School By-The-Park @ Li Hwan (BTP Li Hwan) — located in Lorong Chuan’s Golden Hill Estate — is facing the possibility of closure.

Now, the parents of its students are doing everything they can to keep the preschool alive.

Calling themselves “Parents By-The-Park,” the group has banded together with one mission: to convince the school’s founder that BTP Li Hwan can continue operating sustainably, despite financial strain from low enrolment numbers.

To make that happen, they’ve set two key targets: the school needs 20 new enrolments starting in January for the founder to reconsider closing it, and 40 enrolments by April for the school to break even.

When 8days.sg visited the preschool on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we met two of the movement’s parent leaders, Hannah and Nicole, who were eager to share their story.

The school itself radiated warmth, filled with lush greenery, handmade decorations, and child-friendly play areas. It was immediately clear that this wasn’t just a school. It was a community.

Nicole explains that the school’s financial struggles stem largely from its dedication to putting education first.

“They don’t have a marketing budget. Everything goes back into the reinvestment of the school and kids, and most of parents would agree that this is one of the few schools where you see students doing handcrafted projects almost every day,” she shares. 

Since every dollar earned is reinvested into teaching and classroom materials, there’s little left for promotion and that's something the parents have now stepped up to handle themselves.

Helping the school with marketing, says Nicole, is the "most feasible target right now. “And all of us coming together has really encouraged the school team. None of us realised how tough things had become for them.”

To help, the parents have volunteered their time and skills to spread the word. In a social media video, they have dubbed themselves the "Avengers". 

To market the school, they’ve created social media content to showcase the preschool's strenghts, written Google reviews, and joined group chats targeted at new BTO owners and parents.

One parent printed and distributed flyers around the neighbourhood with her children in tow, while another paid for Instagram ads out of her own pocket to promote the school.

Parents skilled in design and web development have also pitched in to create digital content and launch a Parents By-The-Park website.

The group now includes not only current parents but also alumni parents and even mums on maternity leave.

One mum shares that while the closure of the school would not impact her "as much" as her elder kid has already graduated, and her younger one graduates in a couple of weeks. 

“But this was our third school and I’ve seen how my kids [thrived here]. They were very reluctant to go to school before, but here, they felt at home,” she says. 

Some parents have floated the idea of fundraising, though Nicole says the founder remains humble and hesitant to accept financial help.

“She’s too modest to take our money and we’re still trying to convince her,” shares Nicole.

Beyond saving the preschool, Parents By-The-Park has evolved into a support network and the parents now meet regularly for coffee, celebrate milestones together, and connect through their WhatsApp group.

Here’s hoping the Parents By-The-Park “Avengers” succeed in their mission.