GREENFIELD — The county’s only Catholic preschool is slated to open early next month, a year after its initial planned opening was delayed by necessary structural modifications and a teacher shortage.

Beacon of Light Preschool now has Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, push-pull door handles and a four-member staff. The preschool is expected to start inside the Blessed Trinity Parish pastoral center and parish office at 14 Beacon St. on Sept. 2, with options for full-day or half-day schedules.

“We’re really flexible and we want to meet our families’ needs as best as we can,” said Catherine-Anne Cuff, the parish’s director of educational outreach and the preschool’s director. “We are open to any family in Franklin County.”

  • The Rev. Michael Pierz and Catherine-Anne Cuff with her 2-year-old daughter Anna Cuff in the Beacon of Light Preschool in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
  • The Beacon of Light Preschool on Beacon Street in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
  • Catherine-Anne Cuff in the outdoor play area of the Beacon of Light Preschool in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Cuff said the preschool has seven students and is accepting new ones, ranging in age from 2 years, 9 months to kindergarten age. She said the faculty now consists of three lead teachers and an assistant teacher.

“Because we are a particular program, because we have particular needs and hopes, we’re looking for qualified teachers,” said the Rev. Michael Pierz, who became Blessed Trinity Parish’s pastor about three years ago. “So when you’ve already got a small pool to draw from, it becomes that much more difficult.”

“We’re very excited about our staff. They’re very qualified,” Cuff added. “We have a very energetic and enthusiastic staff, and that’s really what we wanted.”

Though not intentional, the preschool’s name hearkens back to the Holy Trinity School, which was founded in 1929 and closed at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year following years of low enrollment.

“That school was recognized as a ‘beacon of light,'” Pierz said. “We chose [the] name organically … and, yet, when Holy Trinity School had its closing Mass, one of the priests there said that it had served as a beacon of light.”

The preschool’s name is also a nod to its Beacon Street location.

Pierz mentioned he helped found In the Beginning Preschool, St. John the Evangelist Parish’s preschool ministry, in Agawam during his previous assignment.

Cuff, a former third- and fourth-grade teacher at Deerfield Elementary School and a former Confraternity of Christian Doctrine teacher in the parish center, has credited her daughters, Emily and Anna, with the preschool’s formation. She recalled going into labor with Emily the day the state implemented restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the preschool are scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Greenfield Mayor Ginny Desorgher and Bishop William Byrne of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield are expected to be in attendance, and Cuff said area state legislators and City Council members have been invited.