Druid Hills Child Development Center

"We’ve got two kids at DHCDC and are extremely happy with our decision. The teachers are very engaged, the kids have wonderful options for enrichment and activities, and the community of parents and the parent involvement in the center is very high. Very thankful for DHCDC!"

"Supporting DHCDC since 2017! What an incredible community of staff, family & children. It's so reassuring to drop off our children and know they're cared for, loved and learning."

"Great family and community environment. You and your children will make friends. Teachers go the extra mile. The affordability; their offerings for after school care and summer care makes DHCDC one of the best in Atlanta."

"We were lucky enough to find DHCDC for our first child and had two additional kiddos attend the Center. There's a great sense of community, low turnover of teachers (we were grateful to have amazing teachers like Ms. Keisha for all three children) and they have a state lottery funded PreK program. I also really like that the school calendar and time really aligns with working parent needs. It was a great fit for our family and I definitely would recommend DHCDC to anyone in the area."

"As a former employee of DHCDC, I must say that the care and service provided by the teaching staff is of the highest quality. The center is clean, safe and an overall great place for young children to grow and learn. While the cost of care at this center is high, I would say it is worth it, based on the service of the teachers. My own son attended the center while I was employed there and his teachers were wonderful. With all of that being said, I would be remiss if I did not expressly voice my concerns about the center administration. The director, Michelle Carter, seems to have a bit of a racial bias that is not as well hidden as she thinks. It definitely comes out in the way she addresses employees of the center (the staff is about 95% black women) and minority families who’s children attend the center. I was made uncomfortable several times by underhanded remarks Michelle made regarding black people and black children. Michelle also has two children who attend the center, but she has an issue stepping outside of her parenting role to be an effective leader. She constantly allowed her children to circumvent established center rules, even at the risk of other children’s health and safety. For example, she allowed her son to have outside food that contained peanuts, which is not at allowed in the center due to the high amount of children with nut allergies. She also had her assistant, Sara Gage, drive to her home to pick up her sons Beyblade toys, which were also not allowed in the center because they fly. When her son hit another child in the eye with the toy, Michelle covered it up when the child’s grandmother asked about it. When Michelle’s son was disciplined on the playground for telling a black child “I don’t play with black people”, she called a staff meeting and proceeded to admonish the entire staff for “targeting her innocent child”. The dismissive tone she used to address black parents and exaggerate behavioral concerns about their children definitely bothered me and I ultimately departed the center after an inappropriate comment she made regarding my son and his father. The center has been around since the1960’s and could be considered a pillar of the community, but the teacher turnover rate has been the highest it’s ever been with Michelle as the director and that speaks volumes. I was the third teacher in the preschool classroom in less than a year. Overall, I would say that this center is a great place for upper middle class white families. Again, the teaching staff is excellent, but as a black woman and a mother of a black child, I can not honestly say that I would be comfortable leaving my son there with someone like Michelle Carter at the helm."