During its August 23 regular meeting, the Board of Education approved the design for the new Joplin Early Childhood Center. The center will be located just north of Irving Elementary School on land donated by Mercy Joplin. Once constructed, the 40,000-square-foot facility will enable Joplin Schools to expand its early childhood program to serve more than 320 students ages three to five with half-day preschool and half-day daycare. On average, the current facility, which serves 230 students, has more than 100 students on its waiting list. The new center, funded by $10 million in state and local Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds, is set to open in 2019.