OLIVETTE — A child care facility adjacent to the 39 North ag tech district could open by September to serve the growing workforce there.
The YWCA of Metro St. Louis is eyeing a site owned by the private school Miriam Academy, which moved into its building at 1138 North Warson Road in 2020. The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, which helped establish the 39 North district, are helping to coordinate the effort.
The partnership board voted to endorse a cooperative agreement on the plan Wednesday.
Bayer’s North American Crop Science headquarters campus is nearby, and ag tech company Benson Hill has quickly grown from a startup to a public company with a new headquarters in the district.
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The Partnership is not committing any funding but will continue facilitating the effort. Janet Wilding, who leads the Partnership's 39 North efforts, said the need for child care is among the top priorities employees in the 39 North district report in surveys.
The hope is to open a child care facility on the Miriam campus for up to 70 children by September, growing capacity to 100 by late next year.
Editor's note: The Danforth Center is helping coordinate efforts for the child care center. An earlier version incorrectly said it was providing a grant writer for the project.Â
Jacob Barker • 314-340-8291 @jacobbarker on Twitter jbarker@post-dispatch.com