New Jersey parents are frustrated after an anti-abortion sign appeared outside a preschool that describes itself as nonreligious. Families dropping their young children off at Foundations Prep School in Bloomfield are now greeted by a sign declaring, “Choose Life. Your Mom Did!” — prompting some parents to push back over what they say is a changing environment around their children’s school.
According to The Montclair Pod, Foundations Prep rents its space from Brookdale Christian Church, with parents saying the church put up a series of new signs around the property several weeks ago. The messages aren’t limited to the driveway either, with parents reporting that additional signs have appeared in hallways and stairwells inside the building.
Among those messages are signs declaring, “Only Jesus Can Save Us” and “Repent and Follow Jesus Now… Before It’s Too Late.” Their appearance has raised concerns among some parents because Foundations Prep describes itself as a privately owned, independently operated, nonreligious childcare center, leaving families questioning why increasingly prominent religious and anti-abortion messaging is appearing around the space their children use.
Parents aren’t simply letting the issue slide, though. Some have complained to both the school and the church, while a group of families has circulated a joint letter asking the preschool’s owners for an in-person meeting. According to that letter, families were told the signs would remain in shared spaces and that additional signage could appear elsewhere on the property.
The letter also says families were offered the option of using a different staircase or route, an idea the parents rejected because they believe the burden shouldn’t fall on them. It remains unclear how much control the preschool has over the signs, with the church owning wall space in the shared hallways and stairwells. Neither the school nor the church responded when The Montclair Pod asked who approved the signs or whether any could be removed.
New Jersey Residents React to Anti-Abortion Sign at Nonreligious Preschool
The signs have certainly raised eyebrows among New Jersey residents online. “I’m confused, is this sign for the preschool children?” one Reddit user asked. “If so, are they aware preschool children can’t get pregnant or read?”
Others questioned whether they would be comfortable keeping their own children at the preschool. “Personally I’d be looking for a new preschool,” one person wrote, while another pointed out the irony of the anti-abortion message appearing outside a preschool: “If the kid is showing up to preschool, it’s too late for that anyway.”
For some, it was the increasingly religious nature of the signs that proved particularly frustrating. “Usually the signs are more generic like love thy neighbor,” one commenter wrote. “The you’re going to hell stuff is really over the top and uncool.” Another agreed with the broader sentiment, adding, “If the first thing you do is try to threaten or guilt me, I’m never going to voluntarily associate with you.”
One New Jersey resident did offer some important context, however, pointing out that nonreligious childcare centers operating inside churches can find themselves in similar situations. “The Jointure in Bridgewater is in a similar situation,” they explained. “Their program is great and they certainly aren’t religious. However the space they rent is from a Catholic Church which controls the facility including this type of signage.”
At the heart of the controversy is the awkward position a nonreligious preschool can find itself in when sharing space with a church. While Brookdale Christian Church controls parts of the property, parents clearly have their own expectations about the environment their young children encounter each day. Whether the signs stay put remains to be seen, but with families now pushing for answers, the writing is on the wall — quite literally.
