Governor Jay Nixon was at the Jefferson Day Care Center yesterday promoting his plan to increase funding for pre-k education in Missouri.
The governor recently awarded two other grants to the Kansas City School District, to help provide access to quality education to children in day care before entering kindergarten. The governor's visit to the Jefferson City Day Care Center celebrated the day care center's participation in the so-called "Missouri Start Smart" grant initiative.
Day Care Center board member Ashton Leslie says in addition to the direct funding the grant allows a tax credit for donors to the day care: “This is really important to us because we’re actually in the planning phases of doing some major renovations at the day care center that’s going to make it a safer facility for the children and it’s going to allow the teachers and children just to have a better learning environment,” she said.
The board members are also in the process of renaming the center, so that it can reflect the day care’s goals of school preparedness and parent participation.