James River Preschool Academy
James River Church on Aug. 24 launched a preschool in downtown Springfield designed to aid families in poverty, said
Tami Parsley, James River’s director of early child care. Dubbed James River Preschool Academy, the 525 South Ave. school offers early education and child care services free of charge, provided parents hold up their end of an accountability program. Parents can earn points on a scale of 100 by attending parenting classes, dropping off and picking children up on time, reading to their kids at night, making sure to have children bathed and their provided uniforms cleaned, and by attending church services. Parents must maintain 80 points per week for their kids to stay in the program, Parsley said. The school employs two certified teachers and two aids, operating in roughly 2,000 square feet of provided space at downtown’s First Baptist Church, a partner on the project. Funded by private donors, James River Preschool Academy is expected to run on $225,000 per year.
Hours: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Phone: (417) 865-1378.
Web:
JamesRiver.org/preschool
Bank of Little Rock Mortgage Corp.
Little Rock, Ark.-based Bank of Little Rock Mortgage Corp. opened an Ozark branch June 1 at 1471 W. South St., Ste. H, in the Ozark Chamber of Commerce Carl G. Hefner Enterprise Center. Mortgage Loan Officer
Joshua Ganson said the mortgage bank leases the 245-square-foot space, and according to the chamber’s website, the monthly rate is $650. Bank of Little Rock Mortgage is a full-service lender, and Ganson said loans out of the Ozark branch are processed and underwritten at the company’s Springfield office. Ganson operates the Ozark location with support from Springfield-based Regional Manager
Kent Kelso. The mortgage company now operates 14 offices in Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama, including one each in Springfield and Branson.
Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Phone: (417) 582-5448.
Web:
BLRMortgage.com
Southwest Center for Independent Living
Southwest Center for Independent Living on April 29 relocated in-home services and assistive technology operations to Bldg. B at 1450 W. Cambridge St. CEO
Gary Maddox said land for the new 22,000-square-foot building across the street from SCIL’s 2864 S. Nettleton Ave. headquarters was purchased in 2007 for roughly $540,000 and the cost of construction was roughly $2.1 million. The project architect was Slone Architects Inc. and the general contractor was Morelock-Ross Builders Inc. The new space features a kitchenette, a community room with capacity for 267 and a mock-up of a fully accessible apartment used for training care providers and disabled individuals. The basement, which consolidates storage from four off-site areas, doubles as a storm shelter in the event of a tornado. Deputy CEO
Emilio Vela said a staff of seven full-time employees work in the new building, along with 20 attendants and registered nurses who work from the in-home services area.
Hours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Phone: (417) 886-1188.
Web:
SWCIL.org
Send new business info to sbj@sbj.net.
