Collection Agency Offers Office Space for Preschool

By partnering with a local collection agency, Missouri’s Cape Girardeau public school officials may be able to create a preschool program that could serve 120 preschool students and 100 children in the after-school program.

National Asset Recovery Service, Inc., which recently opened its Cape Girardeau facility back in November of last year, has offered to provide free space in its building for the preschool program.  NARS has also offered to pick up all the costs for the utilities.  All the school district would need to supply would be the staff, curriculum, and equipment needed for the child-care facility, and provide meals for the children, school officials said.

The school board recently discussed the feasibility of taking up NARS on its generous offer – but has yet to make a decision.

Superintendent Dr. David Scala and Deena Ring, director of special services for the district, told the Southeast Missourian that the partnership would offer an opportunity to establish a preschool program at a lower cost. The district currently doesn’t have space in its school buildings to house such a program, she said.

Ring said such a partnership would be unprecedented in this area and allow the district to help at-risk children in need of early learning help as well as children in general. She said it would provide an opportunity for low-income families to obtain quality child care they could afford.

Under the plan, NARS would provide 7,600 square feet of space in the leased building for the child-care facility and another 10,000 square feet outside for a playground.

"We are really excited," NARS’ Barb Cagle told the board.

There is the question of whether the district should be entering into a public/private partnership.  Board member Charles Bertrand suggested the district might do better to enter into a partnership with the Head Start program.

Board members said any partnership with NARS needs to be spelled out in a formal agreement and include a set time period for the agreement to be in effect.