The Poplar Bluff Early Childhood Center opened in the summer of 2020 as the first building in the history of the Poplar Bluff School District designed specifically for preschool-aged children. Before finding its home on Camp Road, the Early Childhood program had been housed in several locations over the years — including the historic Wheatley School building, the former Kinyon Elementary, and finally the Mark Twain campus on North Main Street. Each of those buildings had been retrofitted to accommodate young learners, making the purpose-built Camp Road facility a long-awaited milestone for the program.
The 34,000-square-foot building was funded through a levy measure passed by voters in 2014, finished under budget, and paid outright from district reserves — saving taxpayers millions of dollars in interest payments. It was designed by Dille and Traxel Architecture of Poplar Bluff, with interior decor by VVELL Studio of Maplewood, and constructed by Brockmiller Construction of Farmington. The outdoor playground is fully enclosed and ADA-compliant, with surfacing made from 100% recycled Missouri tires thanks to a grant from the State Department of Natural Resources.
The facility features separate classroom wings for three- and four-year-olds, two mixed-age classrooms for extended care, two speech rooms, a classroom for intensive needs, a sensory room, a library with reading nooks, and a multipurpose gymnasium with storm shelter capabilities. It also houses a suite for the Parents as Teachers program, reflecting the district's commitment to supporting families from the very earliest stages of a child's education.