First, there was a $100,000 grant to help the Ozark school district add two preschool classrooms. That came a month ago.
Then came the second grant, valued at up to $780,000. It will allow the district to pay the tuition for students who will enter kindergarten during the 2025-26 year.
The back-to-back grants arrived not long after the district added a storm shelter at the Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center . The extra space, part of a $19 million bond issue approved by voters in 2022, provided a kitchen and cafeteria for the preschool building.
Tiger Paw is located on Fourth Avenue, just east of the downtown square.
“This is such a blessing for many of our families at Tiger Paw,” said Tiger Paw Principal Elizabeth Dawson, in a recent news release. “I appreciate that opportunities like this make preschool more accessible for our community and promote early childhood education.”
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded Tiger Paw the one-year Missouri Quality PreKindergarten — known as MOQPK — grant, which covers tuition for up to 120 4-year-old preschool students, and that is regardless of the family’s income.