The History of The Discovery Center

The Discovery Center has been serving families in the Ann Arbor area for more than 50 years.

Here’s some highlights from our past:

1974 - The Discovery Center is founded by Jacki Miller.

1984 - The center moves its location from North Maple Road to our current location on South Maple Road, where a new facility is designed and built specifically for our programs. The new building offers an opportunity to expand the center’s offerings with four new preschool classrooms and a kindergarten (now a Young 5s) room.

1985 - Our facility wins an Honor Award for Excellence in Masonry Design

1990 - The Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC) establishes the Jacquelyn Miller Endowment in memory of The Discovery Center’s founder and former Michigan AEYC president. The endowment awards grants for innovative projects in early childhood education in two areas that were of particular interest to Jacki: (1) children and the arts, and (2) play environments for young children. The owners and staff of The Discovery Center are active in fundraising for the endowment and assist in its administration.

2003 - Renovation takes place to expand our facilities with the addition of a new large motor/gym space and another preschool classroom.

2019 - Another renovation expands and upgrades our playgrounds with innovative new features and woodland playground for outdoor exploration.

2024 - We celebrate 50 years of providing top-quality preschool services to our community of families!