MACA offering new preschool program
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Mountain Area Christian Academy, educating students prekindergarten through twelfth grade since its' establishment in 2000, is expanding its enrollment to offer a preschool program for two, three, and four year olds.

"There are very few preschools in the area," MACA Principal Steven Clagg said. "There are daycares, but having a preschool and a curriculum obviously [is important] for Christian parents, having a place that supports your belief system in training your kids and getting them started." Principal Clagg said that having such a quality program is important when considering that a child's formative years begin long before they ever reach kindergarten.

The program will be housed in MACA's brand new facility, which is currently wrapping up construction. It is located on Hwy. 515 between Blairsville and Blue Ridge. The preschool area of the building can hold up to 90 children.

MACA, however, plans to keep class sizes small.

"With preschool you can get this vision of all these children crammed in a room," MACA Preschool Director Diane McCombs said. "So I think parents really like to know that there is that smaller classroom size."

MACA is now in the final stage of acquiring its' license for the preschool and will be fully licensed by the state of Georgia in time for the 2007- 2008 school year, which begins in August. Preschools that have completed the licensure process are equipped and trained in the health and safety of children.

"I'm just really pleased that we offer the license," McCombs said. "In this day and time [health and safety] is important for the parents to have their children in a place with accountability." McCombs said that as part of the licensure process, the school will actually be inspected and graded three times each year.

The curriculum offered in the program will be nondenominational. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for full time students, or 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for half day students. Two day and three day options are available for the two-year-old class only. Spacious classrooms, a hot lunch program, and a large fenced playground are some of the other benefits touted by the program.

For more information on the program, contact MACA at 706-374-6222, or log on to the school website at www.macalions.org. Applications to the program can be downloaded from the website.