Discovery Center to open STEM preschool

The Discovery Center of Springfield Inc. is further expanding its education offerings with a new independent preschool.

The Science Sprouts Discovery School would focus on science, technology, engineering and math programming, as well as hands-on learning for preschool-aged children, according to a news release.

The Discovery Center is targeting an early October opening at 3347 W. Farm Road 168, a property near the Republic Road and Golden Avenue intersection that previously housed Springfield Public Schools' Bright Stars Early Childhood Center.

"If you want to improve the economy and wages here in the Ozarks, you can do that upstream by creating a STEM-ready workforce that is overqualified for the jobs we have here now," Discovery Center Executive Director Rob Blevins said in the release.

Blevins previously told Springfield Business Journal that developer Curtis Jared was donating the use of the former Bright Stars building for the nonprofit's SPS learning support program. The Discovery Center announced last month it secured the former Everest College building as one of the sites for the learning support program.

The preschool will be priced at $200 per week per student with a sliding scale based on family income.

In addition to the Science Sprouts Discovery School and its learning support program, the Discovery Center is launching a STEM-focused private school called Discovery School at the Center.