By Jason B. Grosky  Staff Writer

METHUEN -- Pedro Fiorillo dashes out from behind a bookcase, his curly dirty-blond hair bouncing with each step as he peers through his little prescription glasses.

The 21/2-year-old pulls out his right hand, uncertain whether to give a high-five or a little-kid handshake.

Marso A. Fiorillo looks on proudly and says her son's forward gesture shows just how far he has come. Just six months ago, he would have cowered behind her with his arms wrapped around her legs, she says.

"Before, he wouldn't talk or walk," she says of Pedro, who was born two months prematurely and didn't walk until reaching 23 months. "He would just look at the children and bounce. But now he explores the room and plays make-believe and feeds the dolls with the spoon."

She and other Methuen parents credit their children's social turnaround to the work of Dolli R. Pariseau and the year-old Bridgewalk Family Resource Center, a place where severely shy children are encouraged and taught how to interact with others with songs, stories and playtime. Several of the children have been referred through special needs early intervention programs.

But the $35,000-a-year program has fallen victim to this year's state budget cuts and will close in four weeks. Bridgewalk's closing has parents fearful their children's social progress will suffer a backslide.

Run by the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Bridgewalk has been open to all Methuen families and meets once a week on Tuesdays in the School Department building's basement, but also hosts children from neighboring communities like Andover, North Andover and Lawrence on other days.

Under midyear budget reductions engineered by Gov. Mitt Romney, the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council was cut by more than $400,000. Community Action then cut $65,000 from its Methuen Community Partnerships for Children program, which administers the Bridgewalk program. Money used to pay day care for needy families was also cut.

"With three months left of the year, the only place we could cut was salary and children," said Maureen L. Pasek, the partnerships' assistant director. "The biggest expense is in salaries."

Pariseau said the program offers an always-changing combination of free children's programs with parenting services in one central location.

While the center has evolved into a children's play group, it's also become a resource center for adults who seek parenting tips from one another on subjects such as discipline or expanding the diet of a fussy eater. At nights, the center provides baby-sitting while parents attend sessions on sibling rivalry, attention deficit disorder, surviving summer and First Aid training.

For Christine M. McLaughlin, Bridgewalk has been a place for her 2-year-old son, Jack, to meet other children and come out of his shell.

"He really had no interaction with other kids his age, and he was really passive and shy," she said. "Now he's very independent and talks much more. Eight months ago, he didn't talk at all."

Minutes later, Jack had a beaming smile as his turn came up during family sing-along time. The moms and kids sang out, "Jack is here today. Jack is here today. Yeeeeaaa Jack."

Bridgewalk's closing leaves parents uncertain what to do with their children, as area preschool programs are already booked through September when the next school year begins.

Luckily for Christine R. Zins, she sent her 31/2-year-old daughter Rachel back into preschool classes last week, just six months after she had pulled her extremely shy daughter out of them.

"She looked like a little kid who was lost at the mall," Zins said. "She looked sad, and all bunched up."

With her daughter returning to school, Zins said, "It's thanks to this program."