The new ECLC is an educational facility designed to provide high-quality early learning opportunities for children ages 0-5 in the City of Decatur. The center aims to close the academic achievement gap and ensure all children, regardless of background, are prepared for long-term academic success.

The new ECLC will be located at Electric Avenue and W. Trinity Place, directly across from the Ebster Recreation Center in Decatur.

Early childhood education lays the foundation for a child's future academic, social, and emotional development, setting them up for success later in life. Babies and children who attend quality early childhood education programs are more likely to succeed academically, graduate from high school, and attend college. These programs offer an invaluable opportunity to level the playing field for children from all backgrounds.  

CSD is committed to ensuring that all students are prepared to thrive. Research shows us that birth to five years is critical for future success. Right now, the district is unable to meet the current demand for early learning. Additionally, many of our low-income students have limited access to high-quality early learning opportunities. A new early learning center can help transform long-term outcomes for all students, providing critical support and access for more families districtwide. 

The early learning facility aligns directly with CSD's four strategic accelerators. Within the Strategic Plan, it is linked to Organizational Effectiveness and Excellence, serving as a key target to ensure Future Ready Classrooms that are sustainable and support the overall effectiveness of the district. The facility is also linked to the three other accelerators:

• Student Success in All Areas: The ultimate goal of the facility is to set students on a path toward academic, social, and emotional success, starting from birth. High-quality early learning experiences, while not a silver bullet, have a proven impact on long-term academic success and well-being. 
• Building and Sustaining an Engaging and Inclusive Culture: Part of the motivation for this project is ensuring access to early learning for children for whom it is currently out of reach; this facility is designed to be accessible to CSD's low-income housing and families all across the district in need of additional options. Additionally, the facility will create an environment that fosters inclusivity and belonging, ensuring all children feel supported in their educational journey. 
• Cultivating and Retaining Quality Professionals: Workforce impacts stemming from this center will be significant. First, hiring and retaining top-tier early childhood educators will be a cornerstone of the facility's success, ensuring high-quality instruction and care​. Additionally, educators will have access to childcare at the facility, allowing for convenient and more accessible care for their children, which is a key retention strategy. Finally, the Early Childhood Education CTAE pathway will be a core part of the design and implementation of the early learning program. 

Links:

• Executive Summary

The new ECLC will offer critical early learning opportunities that help level the academic playing field by ensuring that all children have access to a high-quality learning environment from an early age.

• October 2024: Early learning panel and listening sessions
• December 2024: Presentation of program model, building renderings, and funding options
• January 2025: Continued community engagement
• Spring/Summer 2025: Construction phase begins; center expected to open in 2027

We initially engaged CSD stakeholders by visiting residents in several DHA communities and directly engaging with families and leaders. We began our parent survey in July 2024 with the Back-to-School Bash. We visited schools in August and September of 2024 to talk to families at various events, including Open Houses and PTA Nights, listening to the voices of these stakeholders and capturing opinions and needs through a parent survey, community meetings, listening sessions, and focus groups.

Our next engagement was a PATH session conducted by our architect team on August 21, 2024. Representatives from various community and civic organizations were present, including Commissioner Dusenbury and Decatur residents, DHA leadership, the Downtown Decatur Neighbors, the Decatur Education Foundation, Decatur High School Students, CSD leaders, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Landscape Architects, and others.

We also engaged during pre-permit meetings in March 2025 that included the City of Decatur Arborist to ensure we comply with the City Schools of Decatur. Based on these collective conversations, we have adjusted plans throughout the planning process, addressing concerns from early learning access and disparities to the impact on green space for the community.

Links:
Survey Questions
Survey Results Summary
Executive Summary

CSD invites partners who are passionate about education to contribute to the development of the ECLC. Contact earlylearning@csdecatur.net to learn about partnership and sponsorship opportunities.

Stakeholders may submit additional questions through the CSD New Early Childhood Learning Center Questions Form.

Access to Child Care: Our survey respondents indicated that they do not currently have their children enrolled in any early learning programs, often citing the high cost of child care as the primary obstacle. This lack of access to affordable early childhood education further underscores the necessity for expanding early learning services. Increasing the number of slots, moving the location to a more centralized property, and offering tuition scholarships make accessible early learning a reality for our youngest learners, including currently waitlisted families and our most vulnerable populations.

Student enrollment is based on available seats by age group and maximum class size. Of the sixty (60) available slots, paid priority enrollment happens in this order:

I. Teen parents attending Decatur High School
II. Residents/families of DHA communities
III. City Schools of Decatur employees
IV. Community members at large

The four scholarship slots provided by Decatur Education Foundation at the Frasier Center are designated based on priority:

I. Teen parents attending Decatur High School
II. Residents/families of DHA communities

The Frasier Center's capacity is 60 children, which is at capacity. As of August 21, 2025, the Frasier Center has a waitlist of 24 children.

Yes. CSD has partnered with DHA on engagement with residents in their neighborhoods on the options for and importance of early learning to lifelong success. Engagement has included face-to-face meetings, listening sessions, focus groups, and surveys. However,  the family engagement was not limited to DHA families. We wanted to ensure we responded to disparities in access for all families with children from ages 0-3. 

Please see the survey analysis: CSD Early Learning Center Survey Analysis

A summary of barriers is provided in the chart in question #8. One of the barriers is trust, resulting from various concerns and historic interactions with the community. CSD is working to overcome some of these barriers as a school district. During the planning of the new ECLC, we have been working closely with the DHA community through one-on-one conversations and personal engagement with families early in the process, including listening sessions and focus groups to reestablish trust and ensure the new ECLC meets the needs of the DHA community.

This engagement has been in addition to the door-to-door engagement efforts by early learning staff before the pandemic to get to know families and their concerns. Feedback has been incorporated in every aspect of the project, from the programming to the design.

The purchase and sale agreement from 2017 is available to the public, which stipulates that the purchased land must be used for public school purchases. 

Please see the following links:

• CSD Land Purchase Press Release
• CSD Land Purchase & Sale Agreement
• CSD Land Purchase Deed

CSD continues to explore a range of options for capital projects and ongoing operations, including the CSD General Fund, federal and state funding streams, philanthropic sources, and more. Additionally, innovative staffing and program models can impact funding. 

Learning from other best-in-class models, success is driven by strategic partnerships. CSD anticipates operational expenses being funded by a combination of revenue streams. 

• Existing funding for the Frasier Center will be reallocated to the new center. 
• The Decatur Education Foundation (DEF) currently provides four scholarships to the children of teen parents enrolled at Decatur High School and families living in Decatur Housing Authority communities. 
• CSD also seeks to endow classrooms/seats for free/reduced-price students to attend via philanthropic investments from major donors for expanded capacity. 
• The project is also eligible for available CTAE Workforce Development funding to support operational costs. 
• Market-rate full-pay tuition will help offset operational costs for all students. 
• Exploring additional subsidy programs like CAPS, Head Start, and Early Head Start will enable funding for students who attend at free or reduced rates.

Options for Capital and Operational Expenses:

• Capital: Several options can be explored to raise capital funds, including financing options and loans, philanthropic support, a bond, or leveraging SPLOST funds. 
• Operational: This will be a significant ongoing need. The district will pursue ongoing funding options from the business and philanthropic community, explore the possibility of allocating district funding to support this project and continue to seek state and federal funding streams like Head Start and Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS).

Yes, several considerations have been explored for the site. However, the proposed site is the only site that is currently vacant and CSD-owned. Additionally, it is the most centralized CSD-owned site that is within close proximity to several communities. Any other site would require significant investment (e.g., purchasing new land) or transformation (e.g., closing a school and relocating students) and would still pose a transportation barrier for our primary service area. Additionally, the selected space, part of the footprint of Beacon Hill, holds particular meaning for the CSD community, which seeks to fulfill a promise to that legacy.

Additional considerations for early learners, ages 0-3, are transportation and distance, which are key barriers for families living in our DHA neighborhoods to access care at College Heights. Few early learning providers offer transportation for very young children, ages 0-3, because of the liability and logistical concerns.

Yes. CSD is aware of the existing needs of other critical program areas for students across all neighborhoods in our city. The district has developed a comprehensive capital improvement plan to address the needs. The plan includes a solution to the concerns in the community over providing additional space for athletics, the arts, Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE), and closing the achievement gap by addressing access to early learning for every student. 

Link:

• CSD BOE June 2025 Meeting Presentation 

The City Schools of Decatur's mission is education. CSD is performing due diligence related to early learning licensing requirements and site assessments before committing to shared use. We envision public use of the new facility being consistent with CSD's other education campuses and learning spaces. Understanding the environmental benefits to learning, the district is working with development partners to maximize greenspace on the proposed new early learning center site, including evaluating shared greenspace uses that align with the district's strategic educational priorities and the intended scope of the land purchase agreement. 

The early childhood education initiative seeks to address the diverse needs of families districtwide. CSD is fortunate to own suitable, accessible, and available land that is centrally located to all neighborhoods. Additionally, the close proximity to the Decatur Housing Authority (DHA) would eliminate a transportation barrier for many early learners. 

The proposed size may serve approximately 125-150 students.

The facility will prioritize families of teen parents, low-income families, CSD employees, and families in the greater CSD enrollment area, including families that face barriers, such as limited access to transportation or affordable childcare options. The aim is to balance the community's various needs as we establish enrollment criteria. 

The new early learning center will expand CSD's early learning programs, not replace them. College Heights will continue serving students. The Frasier Center will be relocated to the new early learning site. 

Based on our current enrollment plan, CSD staff will have a subsidized rate for CSD staff as an employee incentive. There are community-at-large spots for families, but not specifically for City of Decatur staff. We are exploring engagement with the City of Decatur and any local businesses on opportunities for partnership for their employees to receive subsidized tuition, supplementing the difference. 

College Heights Early Learning Center has now reached its full capacity of 148 children in the pre-K program. Additionally, there are currently 107 children waiting for spots in the birth-to-three program.

The new building will be eco-friendly and actualized in part by attaining LEED Silver. Net-Zero is not attainable given the parameters of the Net-Zero standards.

The new Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) will include a total of 16 offices. These offices will provide working space for the ECLC director, ECLC nurse, ECLC safety officer, and ECLC bookkeeper. Other offices will be used for a media center, two conference rooms, admin/front desk space, and a teacher collaborative planning space for the ECLC. Additionally, seven offices will provide working space for school psychologists who currently work out of CSD’s residential houses. 

One of the sources for the BOE to fund the capital improvement projects is to sell one or more of CSD’s four residential houses. CSD currently has staff working out of two of the houses. With this sale, Decatur Virtual Academy (DVA) staff would move to Decatur High School (DHS), school social workers would move to the K-2 schools, and school psychologists (six psychologists and two interns) would move to the seven office spaces at the new Early Learning Center. School psychologists facilitate confidential conversations and student information; therefore, a closed-door office is required. Additionally, to maximize common professional practice as well as to adhere to federal/state compliance requirements, working in a centralized space is essential.

This model of operation for the psychologists is supported by the lack of findings related to evaluations and eligibility determinations in the recent October 2024 Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) Disproportionality site visit and 2025 GaDOE Cross-Functional Monitoring records review. Additionally, meeting required evaluation timelines is critical for this support staff group, as those are also monitored by the GaDOE. Our school psychology team consistently meets the required timelines thanks to their collaborative mode of operation. We want to ensure they continue to excel for the benefit of all students.
 

College Heights currently has eight pre-K classes:

• 2 special education
• 6 general education
• 3 located inside the building
• 3 located outside the building in Learning Cottages

Trained pre-K teachers provide after-school care for the students at this centralized location. If some pre-K classes were moved to K-2 schools, students in these classes who attend aftercare would need to be transported back to locations where trained pre-K aftercare providers are working because the K-2 Animal Crackers program is not credentialed to serve Pre-K students. Additionally, having pre-K in a centralized location provides consistency for the children and the staff who care for them. 

If pre-K classrooms were moved to K-2 schools, the largest number of seats that would be available for waitlisted 0-3-year-old students would be 30.

CSD’s charter agreement, which is granted to the Board of Education by the State Board, allows the district increased autonomy in exchange for greater accountability in student achievement. To maintain its charter agreement, CSD must meet or exceed the performance-based goals and measurable objectives set forth in the charter, which include increasing Georgia's College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) scores and Climate Star Ratings where applicable. Included within the charter agreement are four essential or innovative features that CSD will implement. Included among these features are three that are related to the capital improvement project:

• Leverage community partnerships to implement a long-term eco-friendly facility plan, expanding early learning opportunities
• Establish a Learn and Earn Apprenticeship that certifies students and student teachers in the Science of Reading; and
• Ensure students are college and career-ready by aligning K-12 CTAE pathways to City of Decatur workforce development needs. 

The charter agreement also specifies requirements related to College and Career Academies, where specific waivers are granted to formalize partnerships with various entities to advance workforce development. Georgia’s state legislature has identified early childhood education as a critical foundation for long-term educational success and economic prosperity. Early Childhood Education is one of the current pathways of the DHS Career Academy at Decatur High School. The pathway introduces students to teaching, where students learn about children from birth to age eight and their families. Learning practices also focus on the need for multiple methods of instruction to accommodate a broad range of learning in a child development lab setting. The new Early Learning Center will significantly enhance the learning experience for DHS high school students in the Early Education Pathway, as it will expand upon the current learning space, which is at capacity.

By fulfilling the terms of our charter, CSD is maintaining its commitment to its strategic goal of student success in all areas. Specifically, CSD is delivering high-quality, standards-based instruction that helps to close the achievement gap. This commitment begins with early learning and extends to embedding career, college, and life preparedness in diverse and culturally relevant ways.

See CSD’s Charter Agreement for more information.

City Schools of Decatur has partnered with several faith-based organizations that have generously offered preschool scholarship seats. This support is deeply valued, as most parents indicated that affordability/cost of care is a primary concern. These seats remain unfilled, however, due to other persistent barriers to access, as outlined in our Executive Summary and in the graph below. Parents consistently tell us that tuition support alone is not enough—they need full-day programs with after-care options that match full-time work schedules. In addition, families stress that proximity to care is critical. Without personal transportation, walking long distances to these sites is not feasible, further limiting their ability to access available scholarship opportunities.

How are CSD classrooms currently being used? Why does CSD's classroom use differ from GaDOE's minimum capacity schedule?  

The instructional units earned from the GaDOE are the bare minimum instructional units earned for a school based upon an outdated formula using the number of students enrolled at a school. At CSD, we provide our students with an instructional experience that is well beyond the bare minimum. Our K-2 students have art, Spanish, music, and critical and creative thinking every week, which are not considered instructional units by GaDOE, but support our K-2 students' success and well-being. Additionally, our K-2 schools have classrooms for gifted, Early Intervention Program (EIP), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and special education. 
 
What is the building utilization in our K-2 schools for the 2025-26 school year?
Below is a chart that outlines the Lower K-2 GADOE Classroom Capacity and Earned Formula vs CSD Utilization:

Click here to see this budget analysis.