DPCC’s Mission & Vision
Not only are we Decatur’s best-kept Mayberry-meets-Berkley secret for child care, but we boast three hallmarks which distinguish us from other kindergartens and preschools: our level of responsiveness, our investment, and our consistency.
A Breadth of Responsiveness: our ultra-low student-to-teacher ratio ensures that we listen to you and your child fully, to connect and communicate as we address needs and solve problems
A Depth of Personal Investment: almost all of our faculty have been parents here first; their children have attended DPCC, and then they’ve become teachers
Unparalleled Consistency: this is our 75th consecutive year (and we didn’t stop for the pandemic!); a majority of teachers have been here for at least a decade
DPCC IS A 100% IMMUNIZED SCHOOL. EVERY STUDENT WHO ATTENDS MUST HAVE AN UNEXPIRED, UPDATED, AND VALID GEORGIA 3231 VACCINATION FORM ON FILE WITH US; EVERY PARENT AND STUDENT OF ELIGIBLE AGE IN OUR COMMUNITY MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION.
JOIN US IN 2024-25
Very limited space remains in select classes.
Call 404-378-1770 to inquire
or to set up a personalized tour.
OUR 2025-26 REGSITRATION WILL BEGIN:
FEBRUARY 7 FOR CURRENT FAMILIES
FEBRUARY 14 FOR NEW FAMILIES
Sunshine Summer registration: Monday, Feb. 24
2025 SUNSHINE SUMMER CAMP
Our camp is for ages 9 months to rising 1st-graders.
Camp is from 9-1 M-F with a park & walk-in drop-off and pickup (no carpool).
Age-based rooms will be run by teachers with teenage helpers from our school community.
Rates are per-week/paid in advance and payments are not refundable (so please plan carefully): $375 for 9-24 months, $275 for all other ages.
Proof of COVID vaccination required for all campers.
WEEKLY THEMES:
June 16: fables & folk tales
June 23: zoo zaniness
July 7: journey through space
July 14: dogs & cats
At it for 75 years
Since we opened in 1949, DPCC has not missed a step or taken a year off. Even in the fall of 2020, we remained open when everyone in Decatur kept their doors shut. One of the main reasons we were poised to do this is our focus — which we’ve kept fixed on what’s best for kids, 75 years and still going strong. From teaching children how to be cool with one another as they play as much as possible, it was no stretch putting safety at the fore when we faced a public health crisis. By carefully and thoughtfully realizing the evolution of reliable data, we put a plan and policy in place that followed science. Measures included and still include:
— Parents agree to and sign a contract to be careful, transparent, and communicative about their family’s state of health and potential exposure in a symptom-forward/test-based approach
— Symptom-forward preventative caution: parents keep students with respiratory symptoms at home and refrain rom sending them to school with anything contagious or infectious
— Test-to-leave/test-to-stay: when symptoms occur, tests are necessary to secure community safety and assure continued attendance; when a case of COVID occurs, students in class are required to test daily and be symptom-free to continue
Also from the very start, DPCC teachers have helped parents parent better — and that’s gotten ever more important. Pandemic years often made it hard to know where children should be in their development, much less keep up with it — and we continue to feel that ripple through school. Alongside a wealth of classroom and personal experience, DPCC teachers rely on both parental transparency and knowledge of developmental milestones to gauge how students are growing; should any behavior indicate that a student may need help at home or from other resources, the close contact developed with parents by teachers is an irreplaceable strength of our community.
SECURITY: Keeping children and teachers as safe as possible is essential. DPCC hires a security guard during the regular school year, every day from 8 until 2. The cost of security is offset at the start of the year with a one-time payment. Combined with an annual charge to offset classroom supply expense (formerly “class fee”), the total amount is $250 per child, due in August at the start of the year.
A Word
From The Director
We welcome children in the full bloom of their childhood as did Christ, with open arms. We believe play is not just a good idea, but the absolute best way children learn and grow. We strive to create a first home-away-from-home experience that makes kids happy to wake up and eager to come to school. We know that education becomes a way of life when learning is a routine that’s fun. Lastly, we are convicted that the education of the heart is every bit as critical in the formation of a full person as is that of the mind; that is, we nurture presence in love.
We offer exemplary nursery care for a one or two-day Parent Morning Out program. Our 2 to 4-year-old classes are intimate and warm, with a low teacher-student ratio. Our fantastic kindergarten grows from its history as one of the oldest private programs in the entire metro area.
Brandon Laird
Director
