Festus R-6 School District officials plan to buy the Wee Care Learning Center site as part of an effort to establish an early childhood education program.
Currently the district partners with the Dunklin R-5 School District, which provides some Festus district preschoolers with special education services.
Festus school officials said they hope to open their own early childhood education program no later than August 2023.
By opening its own early childhood education program, the district would be fulfilling a promise it made during its campaign for a 59-cent tax increase voters approved in 2019, R-6 officials said.
The Festus Board of Education voted 6-0 Oct. 21 to move forward with negotiations to purchase the Wee Care Learning Center property, 821 American Legion Drive, Superintendent Link Luttrell said.
The district plans to buy the 5-acre day care property, which includes a 20,460-square-foot building. The district also plans to buy the building’s furnishings, including desks, chairs, playground equipment and other items.
According to the plans for the purchase, the district would allow Wee Care to continue operating from the building through at least the middle of 2022, district officials said.
Nicki Ruess, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said that while R-6 officials have agreed in principle to acquire the building and grounds, they cannot give a cost estimate for the property because they do not expect to close the deal until the end of the year.
Luttrell said the district also cannot give an estimate for the cost to operate its own early childhood education program because there are still too many details to work out.
However, Ruess said the plan to buy the property is considered a step forward for the district to start up its early childhood education program.
“We have been in a very positive partnership with Dunklin R-5 for our Early Childhood Education program,” Ruess said. “It’s held in their Taylor (Early Childhood Center).”
When the Festus district opens its own program, it will strictly serve R-6 preschoolers, and more of them, not just those who need special education services, Luttrell said.
“(At present) with Dunklin, Festus is only participating in the Early Childhood Education program’s special education program for 3- and 4-year-olds,” he said. “We have about 40 children in it. We want our own program in order to expand what we have to offer, such as for non-special education.”
The Festus district has a committee that has been meeting since early 2021 to develop the program.
“After months of committee work and an exhaustive search of possible sites in the area, the acquisition of this location checks all of the boxes the committee was looking for in a suitable site,” Ruess said. “(The district) is excited to continue the next phase of the process, developing a safe and nurturing environment for early childhood learners who will use this facility, while promoting their physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.”
When Festus takes over the property, the district will staff the program, Ruess said.
“When we begin our program, it will be our program,” she said. “We will have our own people when we start our program.”
Wee Care did not return calls for comment about its plans after it vacates the current site.