STATE COLLEGE — Parents whose children attended the West Beaver Avenue preschool with the “pencil fence” are scrambling after the school closed abruptly last month.

Parents said they arrived with their children on Monday, July 16, as usual, and were told by staff members that the Children’s House Montessori Preschool would close permanently at the end of the day.

“Eight hours notice — which is great, as a working parent,” said Jennifer Theiss, whose daughters attended the school starting in 2007.

Since then, the parents have tried to communicate with the apparent owner of the school and school director, with little success, they said. They’re looking for tuition refunds so they can pay for childcare elsewhere.

Theiss said she’s owed $665 for July, for full-time care.

“Now we’ve had to pay more than double that amount because we had to find care for our daughter,” she said. “It would be great to get our money back.”

While the reason for the school’s closure is unclear, police began an investigation around the same time, based on a report of a bad check.

Police Chief Tom King said an employee reported that a paycheck she received on June 18 was returned by the bank on July 5 because of insufficient funds.

That incident was reported July 18, two days after remaining teachers told parents the school was closing.

King said part of the investigation will be determining who issued the paycheck.

Niharika Sharma, whose two sons attended the school’s summer program, said she and others tried to contact school director Brooke Miller and owner Erin O’Leary for information, and haven’t received any.

Miller apparently managed the school and handled its finances. Theiss said Miller was in charge of enrollment and tuition issues.

Miller said by email that she resigned from the school July 11.

“As far as I knew they were running the school the week after,” she said. “The choice to keep the school open or close the school was not up to me but to the school’s owner.”

Miller said she had nothing else to say.

O’Leary said in an email she would comment following the police investigation and once the school retains legal counsel. However, she called the school a “huge asset to the community” and said the closing is “really a shame.”

In the meantime, the parents are gathering with their children for a picnic next week, because they said they want to give the youngsters closure.

“The kids were actually in tears,” Sharma said. “They didn’t know what was happening.”

Theiss called the situation an “awful experience” and Sharma said she had to take time off from work this week to care for her sons.

She said parents are sharing notes about open programs elsewhere.

“All the camps are closed,” she said. “We don’t know what to do right now. Schools don’t close like that.”

Correction: A photo that accompanied this story about the recent closing of Children’s House Montessori Preschool in the CDT's print editions was of the wrong building. Children’s House Montessori is at 632 W. Beaver Ave., State College. The photo showed Our Children’s Center Montessori School at 411 S. Burrowes St., State College. Our Children’s Center is open and accepting students.

Jessica VanderKolk can be reached at 235-3910. Follow her on Twitter @jVanReporter