Our History
Discover our history and what makes Ozark Early Learning Center daycare, preschool, and pre-K the premier local childcare center near me for your growing child.
Our History: Ozark Early Learning Center Daycare, Preschool, & Pre-K
Ozark Early Learning Center has been a steady, familiar presence for local families in and around Christian County for nearly five decades. Opened in the fall of 1978, the history of our daycare and preschool center began with a simple but meaningful mission: to provide a safe, nurturing place where young children could learn, grow, and be cared for in a setting that felt like an extension of home. From the beginning, we were rooted in the heart of the community to support families who valued quality child care and early childhood education and the role it plays in a child’s lifelong development.
Located on the Ozark Assembly of God campus in Ozark, Missouri, our local daycare and preschool learning center has always had a close connection to the surrounding church and community life. That setting has helped shape our identity over the years, giving children a consistent environment filled with care, routine, and a sense of belonging. Many families have found comfort in knowing their children are not just in a childcare development center, but in a place where relationships matter, where team members are committed to each child’s day-to-day growth, and where the love of Jesus is at the heart of everything we do.
One of the most remarkable parts of Ozark Early Learning Center’s history is the people who have made it what it is today. Over the years, our trusted childcare center has built a strong, lasting team culture. In fact, five staff members have been part of our daycare and preschool staff for more than 20 years each. That kind of longevity is rare in early childhood care, and it speaks to the heart behind the work. Our long-term educators have not only taught generations of children, but have also helped shape the tone, consistency, and family feel that parents notice as soon as they walk through the doors.
As Ozark has grown from a small, close-knit town into one of the fastest-growing communities in southwest Missouri, Ozark Early Learning Center has grown alongside it. New families have continued to find their way to our loving baby care and toddler care rooms, fun daycare classes, exciting preschool classes, and quality pre-K kindergarten readiness programs. This has come through word of mouth, church connections, or the simple recommendation of neighbors who once attended themselves as children or who trusted us with their own families. Even as the community has expanded, our licensed daycare and preschool center has held on to its original values: unmatched care, loving guidance, a strong commitment to faith-centered early learning, and a desire to see kids grow mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Today, Ozark Early Learning Center continues to serve ages one through pre-K with excellence in childcare and early childhood education, offering families dependable Christ-centered education where children are known by name and cared for with love and consistency. While much has changed in the world since 1978, the heart of Ozark Early Learning Center has stayed the same. We remain a place where children are welcomed each day by familiar faces and teachers who love them, where parents are supported, and where early learning is built on trust, relationships, and a deep sense of community.
For nearly 50 years, Ozark Early Learning Center has not just been a daycare and preschool—it has been part of the rhythm of family life. We are so grateful to continue serving generations of families in Ozark, Nixa, Sparta, Highlandville, Springfield, Rogersville, and the surrounding communities.
Explore Our Early Learning Programs
Quality childcare for baby, toddler, preschool & pre-K in Ozark, MO, and the surrounding communities.
