Friday, March 6 was a day of celebration as community leaders, fundraising executives, dignitaries and supporters joined the leadership and staff of Scottdale Early Learning to cut the ribbon and officially open the nonprofit organization’s second facility at 2939 Midway Rd. in Decatur.  After more than 40 years of serving young children from low to moderate-income families in a facility located in the Scottdale/Decatur area, Scottdale Early Learning (SEL) has expanded, opening a second child care facility just three miles from its original location.  The non-profit early care and educational organization raised $2.2 million in just nine months to purchase and renovate the new building, as well as hire and train new staff to care for the students at the new location.

SEL will continue to operate in its current building at 479 Warren Ave. in Scottdale, but thanks to the addition of the second building, the organization has now doubled the number of young children and families served, and classes began in January 2020.  Located in Decatur’s Midway Woods Community, the new facility will be known as Scottdale Early Learning at Midway Woods. 

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson welcomed the attendees and thanked SEL President and CEO Maryum Gibson, her staff, the organization’s board of directors and other community leaders for their hard work in making the new early learning center a reality.  He spoke about his own longstanding involvement with SEL and the impact the organization continues to have in the community.  He stressed the importance of early childhood education for future success and said he hoped SEL would continue to expand throughout DeKalb County

SEL Board Chairman Cynthia Livingston applauded the board members for their vision and work, and thanked the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, whose support made it possible for SEL to develop a strategic plan to direct the process of identifying locating and renovating the new building.

Gibson told the audience that exactly one year ago, she and her team made their first fundraising appeal to the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation/United Way of Greater Atlanta, which provided the capital campaign’s lead gift of $750,000.  She then announced the kick-off of Phase II of SEL’s Capital Campaign to raise $450,000 to complete the new building’s renovation, including construction of the school’s outdoor playground and updating the kitchen.  Gibson said the next decade would be pivotal for Scottdale Early Learning, as the nonprofit continues to expand by building community partnerships and identifying potential new locations.

“We had 100 percent Board participation in the early fundraising efforts, and several generous foundations and organizations, including DeKalb County, provided us with the financial support to purchase the new building,” Gibson said.  “We were able to purchase the new facility without a down payment thanks to a bridge loan from the Reinvestment Fund, supported with capital from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and Reinvestment Fund’s network of investors.  This loan was created for us with a very favorable interest rate and flexibility, which made the new building purchase possible while the capital campaign was underway.”

For decades, SEL has worked to mitigate socioeconomic disadvantages through high quality education, family involvement and community engagement to ensure that all SEL students are ready for kindergarten.  Not surprisingly, there is a waiting list of families hoping to enroll their children, so expanding student capacity was a key goal of SEL’s strategic plan.  Improvements were made to the Warren Street facility last year, while the executive staff and Board members searched for a secondary facility nearby.

“We were delighted when we found the facility that has become Scottdale Early Learning at Midway Woods,” said Gibson.  “We already had families from Midway Woods inquiring about our programs, so we knew the need was here.  It’s close to our original facility and didn’t need extensive improvements.  C. D. Moody Construction expanded and renovated the building, but all in all, it’s a very good fit for what we needed.”

SEL at Midway Woods has opened with 32 students, and is licensed to accommodate 124 students.  “We are expanding our partnership with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning to offer 32 Head Start spaces at the new location.  We anticipate the addition of this facility will reduce our current wait list and will give dozens of high-risk children the opportunity to enroll in vital early learning programs.”

Gibson continues to lead the expanded organization as President and CEO of Scottdale Early Learning.  Additional members of the SEL leadership team are: Dr. Tyeichia Mason, vice president of programs, Labeebah Thompson, vice president of administration and Anita Douglas, vice president of development and marketing.