On a normal day, Oglethorpe Children’s Academy is winding down by 4:30 p.m. This past Friday afternoon, however, the academy resembled a massive community reunion.
A crowd of babies, toddlers, kindergarteners, alumni and parents gathered underneath the academy’s awning in Crawford to celebrate 20 years of service and education from the county’s only daycare center.
“We have blinked, and it's like, ‘what in the world, really? Twenty years?” founder and owner Melanee McGee said. “But it has changed my life. We're part of this community, I hope we do a great service for our community — we sure do work hard.”
The celebration featured bouncy houses for the children, food trucks, a photobooth, free pizza and chips, and cookie cake for attendees. Visitors were able to take tours inside the building and trips to the school garden.
For many, the night served as a homecoming. McGee said she connected with former students, some of whom are now adults.
“It just feels so good; somebody I used to carry in my arm or on my hip or snuggle with is now so big that all I can do is wrap my arms around and hug,” McGee said. “I love it.”
The center opened in 2006, and its history can be seen through McGee’s grandchildren’s handprints on the concrete by the entrance, or through yearly class photos hung from the closet door of pre-K lead teacher Satilla Mathews.
“It's surreal,” Mathews said.
She told the story of an older sibling recently picking up her younger brother from the summer transition program.
“You don't remember me, do you?” Mathews said.
She said didn't, and Mathews pointed to her closet door.
“This is you,” Mathews said.
Mathews is entering her 10th year teaching at OCA; however, her involvement began as a parent trying to find a daycare center for her newborn son, JT.
“There was nowhere else that I would have put my child when we were trying to figure out what we were going to do,” Mathews said.
When JT started pre-K, Mathews joined the staff and discovered a love for small children and the academy’s environment.
“It's just family, and we're so family-oriented, and you can't help but become a part of it,” Mathews said.
One of three pre-K teachers at the academy, Mathews said OCA is “a beacon in the community.”
The academy has daytime programs for children from infancy to pre-k, including a 60-student, state-funded pre-K program, divided into three classrooms, throughout the school year.
Additionally, the academy hosts a variety of summer camps and programs, including a transition camp for rising kindergarteners. Students at Oglethorpe County Elementary School are also eligible for afterschool programs at the academy.
McGee said at least three of the academy's former students are now pursuing educational degrees in college and continue to work at OCA. Several former students have returned to the center as parents, enrolling a new generation.
“I think it's because they felt safe here, felt loved here and realized that it was a quality basis for themselves, so they trust us with their babies now,” McGee said.
Current parent Chelsea Smith, whose two daughters Paisley and Harper are enrolled at OCA, echoed McGee.
“They're big on communicating, and their staff is amazing — I trust them with my kids,” Smith said.
Looking at the approximately 100 parents, staff members and children gathered to celebrate the academy, McGee said she saw OCA’s two-decade impact on Oglethorpe County.
“I'm just so proud of where and what we've done and how far we've come” McGee said.