The Rolla Board of Education is pleased to announce the expansion of early childhood programming at Rolla Public Schools. Thanks to the generous support of the Phelps County Community Foundation, the district was able to purchase the state-of-the-art facility at 550 Blues Lake Parkway, the former home of Columbia College-Rolla. Contributions toward this purchase total $1,050,000 to date, and the foundation is committed to a total donation of $1,950,000 to cover the purchase of the property. The PCCF board is currently seeking donations to match a $250,000 grant through the Chymiak Family Foundation. The Phelps County Community Foundation chose this project as a focus based on the data returned in their 2023 Impact Report.

After renovations to the building are complete, the facility will house all Pre-K and early childhood programming offered through Rolla Public Schools. The program is currently split between all three elementary schools, with the bulk of the students at Wyman Elementary. 

“Having a centralized location and a space specifically designed for our littlest learners will allow for a more robust educational experience for our PUPS,” said Early Childhood Director Laura Brown. “We will also be positioned to better manage and pool our resources in a single location.” Brown went on to describe some of the challenges the program has faced while serving a limited number of students. 

“Each year our waitlist gets longer,” she said. “We are seeing more needs for early childhood education and interventions in the community with limited spots available. It’s exciting to look at this building and think we may be able to serve all 4 year-old students and high-needs 3 year-olds who qualify for early childhood special education in the district through our programming and in partnership with other pre-k providers.”

The early childhood program is slated to expand from half-day classes serving 162 children to full-day classes serving approximately 350 children; more than twice the current enrollment. Moving from half-day to full-day programming will allow the district to receive attendance-based funding from the state, where the part-time program was ineligible. “Making the switch from half-days to full-days removes barriers for some families who were not able to enroll in our program previously due to the inability to secure care for the other half of the day,” said R31 Superintendent, Dr. Kyle Dare. “While we have excellent partnerships with local providers, the shortage of daycare and pre-k options in the Rolla area has created hardships for many families. We are hopeful that this program expansion will provide much-needed relief and opportunities for them.” Dr. Dare also commented on the logistical benefits of this expansion. “Moving early childhood, our EC Careers lab and the Parents as Teachers program to this new space will create some breathing room for our elementary schools. We are preparing for significant enrollment increases with the planned development within our community, and we desperately needed more space in our elementary buildings.”

Another exciting component of this project is the collaboration with Four Rivers Community Health. The new early childhood facility will house a fully equipped medical clinic to provide comprehensive health and dental services to approximately 1,200 unique patients annually. “This project is a true testament to the collaborative spirit of the Rolla community,” Dr. Dare said. “The impact of the joint effort between the Phelps County Community Foundation and Four Rivers in service to the Rolla School District and community is going to be significant and long-lived.” Families and community members will be able to utilize the services at Four Rivers for added convenience and early interventions, improving the well-being of students and families.

The Phelps County Community Foundation entered the early childhood conversation with the district several months ago when leaders from both organizations toured an early childhood facility in Lebanon, MO. “The partnership between the PCCF and the school district made sense. We can work together to fill a need and solve a real problem facing this community,” said Tracy Jenkins, who is a member of the Phelps County Community Foundation Board and the President of the Rolla Board of Education.“The guiding word for this school year at the district is ‘Commitment’ and I would like to commend Superintendent Dare for his commitment to the constant and rapid improvements being implemented in our local schools. His leadership has been incredibly valuable to the district and the greater community.”

The Phelps County Community Foundation Early Childhood Center is tentatively scheduled to open in the fall of 2026. Once complete, the early childhood center will feature a 36,630 sq.ft. facility on 2.78 acres which includes classrooms, offices, a comprehensive health care clinic, assembly space, outdoor play spaces, and administrative offices. “The Rolla Board of Education has been supportive of this project from the beginning, and we appreciate their continued commitment to the students and the community. We would like to also recognize the Columbia College team for their part in this collaborative effort. They have been very receptive to our requests during this process and have generously included a great deal of equipment and furnishings in the agreement,” Dare said.

ABOUT PHELPS COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Phelps County Community Foundation is comprised of 12 members of a board of directors devoted to seeing Phelps County continue to grow and prosper. The foundation launched two major projects, presenting local law enforcement with a check for $51,668 toward a mobile camera system in May 2024, then coordinating funding for a pilot project named the Rural Schools Early Literacy Collaborative-Phelps County in August 2024. The literacy program spans three years. Working alongside the state Department of Education and Secondary Education and the South Central Regional Professional Development Centers, the collaborative in Phelps County will serve as an incubator from which the state can adopt an effective coaching model to improve literacy.

In January 2024, PCCF released an impact report as a guide to understanding where the community excels, where it needs immediate attention, and areas of potential concern. Over 1,300 responses were received on the survey to identify community needs.

PCCF plans to explore more projects to address the diverse needs identified in the Impact Report. 

To learn more about the Phelps County Community Foundation, go to phelpscountycommunityfoundation.org. To contact someone with PCCF, email information@phelpscountycommunityfoundation.org, fill out the contact form on the website, or call (573) 426-4220.