LENOX — The Lenox Children’s Center will close its doors Friday, two months earlier than planned, leaving local families scrambling for child care in an area with limited options.

The nonprofit provider had announced in March that it would have to shut down at the end of August, citing the prohibitive cost of repairs needed at the former Center Street Elementary School, a building that dates to 1935.

The scheduled late-August shutdown prompted three of the center's eight staffers to leave this month for employment elsewhere, reducing available classrooms from four to three, said Marianne Vallee, a staffer at the children’s center since 1999 and director for nearly 20 years.

Staffer Heather DiGrigoli worked with her pre-kindergarten students at Lenox Children's Center on Old Center Street in March. Town officials say up to $10 million in repairs are needed to keep the building open. Faced with staff departures, declining enrollment and likely state non-renewal of its license, the facility has moved up its closing date to this Friday rather than late August.

“We offered them a bonus if they would stay until the end in August, but I guess they were worried about finding a job,” she said.

As a result, four families had to pull their 5-year-old children out earlier than expected, but most of the kids will attend summer camps, Vallee said. At least six families seeking care for next fall have made other plans.

“Financially, we really can’t sustain it, so we’re closing this Friday, the day our license expires,” she said. The center officially notified the state’s Department of Early Education & Care of the imminent closure and the intention not to seek a two-year license renewal.

Caregivers with infants at the Lenox Children's Center on Old Center Street, as seen in March. Located in a former elementary school built 90 years ago, the building is beyond affordable repair by the nonprofit center and the town. Originally set to close on Aug. 31, the center now plans to shut down this Friday.

Vallee said the early closure was not directly tied to the possibility that the state might not renew the center’s license, though she noted that with the building’s deteriorating walls, “there’s a good chance it would come down to that if we didn’t start fixing it up soon.”

The closure stems from the deteriorating condition of the town-owned former Center Street Elementary School building, which officials say requires nearly $10 million in repairs — far beyond the means of both the nonprofit operator and the town.

The children’s center has been leasing the facility for $1,600 a month.

Assistant Director Donna Lamke had listed renovation priorities for the building such as a new roof, heating system, repairs to crumbling walls, ADA-code compliance, and additional state requirements for a license renewal.

The center, established in the early 1990s, explored at least 35 possible relocation sites, but none were suitable. A potential location near the post office on Crystal Street in Lenox Dale fell through because a gun shop was situated next door, Vallee said.

A prospective buyer, the Berkshire Family YMCA in Pittsfield, toured the former school building twice — once in March and again in May — but ultimately determined that the extensive repairs required made a purchase impractical, even with a $1 sale price from the town.

“It’s a hard week,” Vallee said. “I’ve been here for so long and made so many memories, it’s like a second home to me, where I spent most of my life. I thought I’d retire here but that’s not going to be the case now. It’s really bittersweet. I’m proud of all the families I was able to help, but I’m sad to see it end.”

Vallee will move on as director of the early childhood program at Taconic High School for preschoolers, operated by Pittsfield’s YMCA.

As part of the closure on Friday, Vallee said she is filing with the state attorney-general’s office for dissolution of the nonprofit. Any funds remaining after lawyers and accountant fees will go to the Pediatric Development Center in Pittsfield.

As for the building, no decision has been made yet on its future, according to Town Manager Jay Green.

“We’ve been giving the children’s center space to wind down their operations on their own schedule," he said.

Since the announcement, Vallee said she has fielded many calls from families seeking placements for their youngsters.

“It’s heartbreaking that it’s just not a priority,” said Vallee. “It’s a huge loss for the community.”