In 1948 UKC acquired several surplus Army buildings from the Camp Crowder military base located near Neosho, Missouri.  One of those buildings became the first Student Union and the Kangaroost immediately moved out of the greenhouse and into this bigger space.

The greenhouse was not empty for long though as the university expanded to offer a new, experimental, program.  The building was quickly repainted and slightly remodeled to open as a preschool under the administration of the School of Education.  Twenty children, all four year-olds, were enrolled at the opening.

The ultimate aim was for the preschool to act as a kind of laboratory school for Education students majoring in Early Childhood Development or Pre-Kindergarten Teaching.   Ultimately, however, the experiment failed as child registration dropped and the center could not remain viable; it closed only two years after opening.

The greenhouse had another transformation waiting in the wings though not long after the ‘little sprouts’ left.