“We wanted to have a sure thing,” said Roman, who enrolled her son last year. But now his school year is about to be upended amid allegations of fraud by Croft’s founder, and questions about whether the school will have enough money to stay open past the end of this week.

Roman and her husband are among hundreds of families weighing their options for finding last-minute schooling for their children next week after they abruptly learned about the school’s financial problems during spring break. Some are forming home-school pods, enrolling in local public schools, or scrambling to find a private school with an open seat.

There are about 220 children enrolled in the Providence school, and another roughly 370 at two locations in Boston.

“Obviously, our first hope is that the school can stay open,” said Roman, who is planning to enroll her 6-year-old in the Providence Public Schools if Croft closes. She can rank preferences, but doesn’t know which school he will attend.

In her search, she found private schools were not issuing financial aid midyear, and she can’t afford to pay full freight. She also entered the state’s public charter school lottery, but it doesn’t award seats in the middle of the school year.

Providence schools Superintendent Javier Montañez sent a letter to families on Friday pledging support, and set up a Google form to help parents enroll. Information sessions are being held to help.

Depending on where they live, families will not necessarily be able to enroll at the school in their neighborhood, though they can list preferences. Spokesperson Alex Torres-Perez said there are 639 open K-7 seats throughout the district, grades that are currently enrolled at Croft. At the elementary school closest to Croft, Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, there are 22 seats currently available; at the closest middle school, Nathan Bishop, there are 19 seats.

“Our district is committed to providing a high-quality education for every student every day with the help of our dedicated educators,” said Torres-Perez, who noted that the district is in the middle of a $1 billion program to reconstruct its school buildings. The project includes building new K-8 schools, and some students have been moving around to swing spaces while construction is ongoing.

In his letter to parents, Montañez touted “tremendous momentum,” including new dual language programs, career and technical education, and improved graduation rates.

Molly Birnbaum first heard about Croft after Given came to her daughter’s day care to pitch the school.

“I was really taken by his vision, and the way he spoke about education and equality, and project-based learning,” Birnbaum said. “When she was old enough for kindergarten in 2022, we were so excited to tour the school and see what he had built.”

She enrolled her daughter, who is now in third grade. Her son, a kindergartner, joined a few years later.

Now, Birnbaum has been going to information sessions across the city at different schools, deciding where to send them. The closest public school to her is Vartan Gregorian, and she is also looking at private schools.

Like many parents, Birnbaum prepaid the tuition at Croft for next year, and may be out tens of thousands of dollars. And her children could lose their teachers, who will be furloughed next week if more money isn’t secured. She hopes some of them could be hired by families who opt to form homeschooling groups for the rest of the year.

“These are some of the most special, loving, warm teachers that I’ve encountered,” Birnbaum said.

Katherine Linwood, whose 10-year-old daughter Vivienne is in fifth grade at Croft, said she’s been “burning the candle at both ends” to try and keep the school open, but is also planning for contingencies if school closes next week. She compared it to the scramble to find child care when schools went remote during COVID.

“In terms of trying to patchwork, keep her safe and secure and engaged, while working a full-time job,” Linwood said.

This isn’t Vivienne’s first time going through something like this. She previously attended the private Henry Barnard School on the Rhode Island College campus, which closed in 2020.

Linwood, who works at Rhode Island Kids Count, a child advocacy organization, is not considering sending her daughter to the low-performing Providence Public Schools.

“To me, this also speaks to why we need to have better investments in our public education system,” Linwood said. “I strongly believe that every child has the right to a wonderful education.”

The problems at Croft came to light in mid-March, a week after the four-member board that controls the school was told by executive director Scott Given, the founder, that he had “mismanaged and misrepresented” the school’s finances, including hiding large debts.

Given was suspended and then fired. His lawyers said last week he is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and “has never used any school funds for his own personal benefit.”

The board told families it has enough cash on hand to make payroll on Tuesday, but would need $5 million to keep the schools open through the end of the year.

In an effort to keep the Providence campus open, a group of eight parents has filed a petition in Rhode Island Superior Court, asking a judge to put the school into receivership, a type of state-level bankruptcy.

If granted, a receiver would be given authority over the school and could make financial decisions. A lawyer for the families said Tuesday there is an anonymous donor willing to fund the school for the rest of the school year, but only if it is removed from the control of the current board.

Superior Court Judge Brian Stern did not immediately make a decision on the receivership during a hearing on Tuesday.

Time is of the essence; a memo from board member Mike Goldstein, which was cited in court documents, said teachers would be furloughed as of April 1 if the school does not have funding for the next payroll cycle by Friday.

Roman said she tried to explain to her son, in age-appropriate terms, what is going on. He asked why someone would take money from a school, and opined: “That’s not kind.”

“I’m not afraid to send my child to public school, he will be fine,” Roman said. “I worry that people will think this is just a rich person problem, but it’s not. The school was trying to do something different and make education accessible to everyone.”

Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court vacated a conviction tied to a deadly cigar bar shooting.

Trequan Baker, 31, was sentenced to 60 years at the ACI followed by a consecutive life sentence for the murder of 36-year-old Qudus Kafo in 2022.

The shooting happened outside the Fab City Cigar Lounge in Pawtucket after a fight broke out.

The Supreme Court referenced inappropriate questioning at the trial that focused on what happened after Baker’s arrest as the reasoning for vacating the conviction.

Pawtucket police said one man was shot to death and a second wounded outside FabCity Cigar Lounge, early Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (WJAR)

According to the release, the case has been sent back to Superior Court.

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 23, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 23 drawing

12-18-47-56-63, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 10

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from March 23 drawing

Midday: 1-6-3-3

Evening: 5-0-7-4

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from March 23 drawing

01-12-27-28-31, Extra: 37

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 23 drawing

01-14-19-29-35, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

• Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
• Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
• Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.