Discovery Center a semifinalist for $1M prize

RELATED

Discovery Center launches private school

Discovery Center offers child care for health care workers

The Discovery Center of Springfield Inc. is a finalist for a $1 million education prize.

The Center for Education Reform and media partner Forbes today revealed 20 semifinalists for the national STOP Award, a prize that recognizes education providers that are Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless, according to a news release.

“Every one of the hundreds of applicants told remarkable stories of resilience in the face of COVID and an unshakable determination to deliver for students,” said Jeanne Allen, CER’s founder and CEO, in the release. “The 20 STOP Award semifinalists were judged not only on what they did during the pandemic, but how they plan to change the trajectory of K-12 education.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Discovery Center last year began offering child care services for health care workers at the nonprofit’s 60,000-square-foot building at 438 St. Louis St., in addition to other properties in the city. The Springfield nonprofit also recently launched Discovery School at the Center, a private school that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math programming.

The STOP Award winner is slated to be announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, according to the release.

Before that, the 20 semifinalists are slated to take part in a four-week hybrid accelerator program hosted by GSVlabs Dallas. The program will pair the Discovery Center with technology leaders and investors to identify ways to take their educational ideas to the next level.