Joplin, MO. – Tears flowed – from parents in the audience to Freeman Learning Center Director Josh Sharp as he spoke from the podium – as the fourth graduating class received diplomas while wearing Freeman-blue caps and gowns.

It’s a tradition of sorts for Sharp to become emotional when bidding final farewells to the little ones as they head off to kindergarten. But the 2025 class holds a special place in his heart, he said. This was the first group of students to start out as babies and make it through the school’s curriculum after the Freeman Learning Center opened in mid-2020.

“Nine of the twelve graduates have been with me since they were babies and I’ve got to watch them grow and learn,” Sharp said. “I’m really happy to see them succeed and move on. But it’s tough to see them leave.

“This is the last time they’re little, that they’re toddlers, and once school starts, you blink and they’re graduating high school,” Sharp continued as he spoke to parents and family members. “So, enjoy these moments.”

After entering the room to the familiar chords of “Pomp and Circumstance,” the twelve graduates – sixteen total, but four could not attend Friday’s ceremony – stood on stage and sang two songs. During the final song, the graduates thanked their teachers and family for “everything you’ve done for us.” 

“That,” said Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Fry, who spoke during the ceremony, “is probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

During the ceremony’s highlight, Fry handed each child his or her diploma, congratulating them on a job well done.

Freeman Learning Center, located at 3606 S. Indiana Ave., was specifically built to care for Freeman and Ozark Center employee’s children during the workday. It offers structured play that engages children to help them grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially. By using an educational program called “The Creative Curriculum,” educational continuity is seamlessly provided from one age group to the next, as students move from the baby room to the one-year-old room and all the way up to the five-year-old room.

“It seems like just yesterday your child needed you to carry them and feed them, and now they are graduating pre-K – enjoy the moments with your little ones,” Sharp said. “Thank you for letting Freeman Learning Center be the first stepping-stone to the rest of their lives.”