Alana Dorsey always wanted to work with young children in her community. But when she purchased an early learning center building in South Fulton in 2020, she quickly discovered that building a nurturing space for young learners involved much more than she expected.
Today, Learning Legends Academy stands tall, a bright building with teal doors, welcoming families in with a sign that reads, “Giving parents a peace of mind, no child left behind.”
Thanks to a repair and renovation grant from United Way of Greater Atlanta and our PAACT Collaborative partners, her center is now freshly updated and ready to serve even more families this school year.
A passion for the early years
Alana credits her personal experience growing up in the foster system for wanting to start a career in childcare.
“I always wanted to work with kids, but I didn’t know if I wanted to do counseling, or work in a group home,” she remembered. “But a daycare is more hands-on. You’re starting afresh, working with them from when they’re born on up in their early years.”
Having access to a quality daycare was a game-changer for Alana’s own children. She remembers how difficult it was to leave her kids in the care of others for the day.
“That’s just the number one thing, letting parents know that their kids are here, they’re safe, they’re loved, and I’m doing this because it’s something I love to do,” she said.
In the years since Learning Legends Academy first opened its doors to families, she realized that her job went beyond just childcare—it encompassed marketing, building maintenance, entrepreneurship and staff management, and most importantly, making sure each of her children had a quality learning experience that prepared them for school.
Just a few years after opening, Learning Legends Academy faced a string of setbacks. Dead tree limbs crushed an A/C unit, a fence, weatherboard, and ultimately knocked out her power, forcing her to close for two months to keep up with the repairs.
She heard about our grant opportunity for independently-owned early learning centers, and immediately applied.
“I was really in need, just ask my fire marshal!” she said. “Then one day I got an email saying, ‘Congratulations you got it.’ I’m like, is this real, is this true?”
As she walked through her center’s classrooms now, filled with bright toys and learning posters in one room, and kids enjoying snacktime in another, she pointed out all she’s been able to accomplish thanks to the grant. The fence is repaired, creating a safe outdoor play area for the children, and a new front door with a secure locking system gives parents peace of mind. A new fire system and staff bathroom improvements allowed her to pass her zoning inspection.
“Seeing all the new things and changes we’ve made has been an eye-opener for people in the community. They see what’s been happening and have been stopping in. I got new enrollments from that as well,” said Alana.
A strong foundation for learning centers—and for children’s futures
Beyond the physical renovations, Alana’s grant also brought valuable support behind-the-scenes. Through our partner Quality Care for Children, Alana received business training to ensure her center is sustainable, and curriculum support as she gained a quality-rated credential for the lessons kids have in the center.
While many of the children at Learning Legends Academy are not yet school-aged—some are as young as six weeks—research continues to show the powerful, long-term benefits of attending a quality-rated early learning program.
“Grants like this are so important because it helps us to continue in the field of education to make sure that children have a well-rounded experience, from making sure that the programs are up to code, that we come in and have a quality environment, and then also making sure they’re receiving a quality education on top of that,” said Casey Engle-Singleton of Quality Care for Children. “It’s a way for us to really make an impact on the early years of education, so they can go out and thrive and become productive citizens.”
Leveling up and scaling out
What’s next for Alana? She hopes to take what she’s learned from the grant process to open a second center, and go on to help more toddlers grow up to become Learning Legends.
United Way of Greater Atlanta’s support provides eight to twelve PAACT renovation grants to early learning centers like Alana’s each year, improving the experience for the hundreds of students at those centers.
Like Learning Legends Academy, each of the childcare providers we select are quality-rated, accept children with low-income subsidies, and prioritize locations that are in childcare deserts—neighborhoods of economic need where there’s not a large supply of early learning opportunities for families.
When children are given a safe environment and access to quality programming, there’s no limit to the learning that can take place.
Our ability to support early learning centers depends on the generosity of our community. Help us continue providing access to high-quality education during a child’s most formative years by donating today.