The Sammamish Learning Center will permanently close its doors in June, at the end of the school year.

The preschool is staffed by around 20 women who have taught hundreds of Eastside children ages 3-5 since the school opened in the mid ’90s.

Currently there are more than 100 children enrolled. Many students are not there every day, but attend either a morning or afternoon session every other day.

Co-owners Helen Glenn, of Bremerton, and Jill Porter, of Issaquah, sold the property to the American Classic Homes developer last year.

“This prompted our retirement,” Glenn said.

Glenn and Porter opened the Sammamish Learning Center in 1995 after buying and converting the house off of 29th Street.

“We have just been so proud of everything we’ve accomplished,” Glenn said. “A lot of the kids we’ve served have actually graduated from college.”

Most of the employees have been teaching since their own children were in the program.

And after 20 years of business, these woman are sad to see the school permanently close its doors at the end of the school year.

“It’s going to be tough,” assistant director Louise Boothroyd said.

Boothroyd, of Bellevue, has been working at the preschool for 16 years.

“I’ve never had a bad day. I smile all the time,” she said.

Her daughter, Holly, attended the school when she was young. She’s now attending a college in England.

Parent Heather Krabbe, of Issaquah, has seen the benefits of the school reflected in her children.

“They just really help them get ready for the next stage of their life,” she said. “It’s been an amazing place for our children to grow into little people.”

The National Association for the Education of Young Children has accredited the school for the last 15 years. The association insures the students receive a high-quality program.

Krabbe has seen the individual attention given to children and said the center does a great job of teaching youngsters and reinforcing concepts.

“I’m sad to see them close,” said Krabbe, who has a four-year-old son currently enrolled in the preschool. Krabbe’s daughter, now in kindergarten, attended last year.

Krabbe, previously a kindergarten teacher in California, asked her local elementary school for preschool recommendations when her family moved to Washington. The Sammamish Learning Center was the only preschool recommended.

“It really has been a great school,” she said.

While staff and current parents were aware this was the school’s last year, the closure has not gotten a lot of publicity.

The business will close after its alumni reunion, which is June 13 at 2 p.m.

The house is located at 22629 S.E. 29th St.