Bezos Academy to open multiple tuition-free preschools in Arizona

Several Montessori-style, tuition-free preschools for low-income families funded by former Amazon.com Inc. CEO and founder Jeff Bezos are in the works in the Valley.

Two of the Bezos Academy locations are planned for Glendale, with one inside Desert Garden Elementary School slated to open in September and another in early stages of development. In Mesa, meanwhile, three other Bezos Academy locations are also poised to open that same month.

During a Thursday meeting, Glendale’s Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the development plans for the second location and recommended that City Council approve it.

The proposed site for the latest Bezos Academy in Glendale is at the southwest corner of 65th Avenue and Alice Avenue. A retirement home, the Glencroft Center for Modern Aging, is currently operating on the site.

About 7,800 square feet of unused residential space within the retirement home will be converted into five classrooms and administrative space, and existing landscaping along 65th avenue will be converted into outdoor playgrounds.

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story.

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