Akers Academy, an upscale preschool in Alpharetta, was honored on Friday evening, October 7th, at the 2005 Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC) Together For Children Annual Conference at the Gwinnett Civic & Cultural Center in Gwinnett County.

Having earned perfect scores from the State Regulatory Agency during its first year of operation, Akers Academy was part of an exclusive group of preschools and early childhood educators invited to attend the GAYC annual awards banquet to be honored for their achievements. “It’s very difficult to attain perfect scores from the Regulatory Agency, so we are especially excited to have received this honor, and we feel that it reflects the excellent job that our director, Constance Black, is doing,” commented Akers Academy co-owner, Frank Akers. “Connye has more than 30 years experience and works tirelessly in molding our teachers into a team dedicated to our children,” he continued.

Hosted by Smart Start Georgia, Kaplan Companies and the GAYC Board, the gala event honored Akers Academy and other award recipients from nine categories, and featured keynote entertainer, Ronald Daise, performing his acclaimed program, “My Soul Been Bless! Gullah Roots, Branches, Blossoms.” The awards banquet is part of an annual conference that draws more than 2,000 early childhood care and education professionals for two full days of workshops, seminars, exhibits and organizational meetings.

Akers Academy, located at 830 Old Alpharetta Road in South Forsyth County, opened in September 2004 by Caroline and Frank Akers, and accommodates 217 children, ages six-weeks to kindergarten. The center provides an advanced curriculum that sets it apart from many other preschools. The current curriculum includes instruction in signing for babies and toddlers, yoga for babies and a Spanish program for pre-k and kindergarten students.

Parents with children enrolled at Akers Academy couldn’t be more pleased. “The ultimate testament to the quality of a child care program is in the happiness of the child,” explained Van and Rebecca Phipps, “and our two children feel very at home at Akers Academy. We have not had that happen with any program before.” And Tricia Bitteman commented, “The worksheets and projects our child has brought home are great! There are lots of great ideas and creativity to help her learn.” And yet another parent stated quite simply, “It’s the best care your child can receive.”

For more information on Akers Academy, please call (770) 889-0788. The facility’s web site, www.akersacademy.com, is scheduled to go live this month.

About Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC)

Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC) is a non-profit professional organization that promotes quality early care and education for young children. GAYC is affiliated with the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

GAYC's purpose is to work toward improving the general welfare of Georgia's young children from birth through age eight by:
• Providing opportunities for early care and education professionals and paraprofessionals to enhance their experiences and increase their knowledge of young children
• Working with its membership and other organizations to develop and nurture partnerships on behalf of young children and families.

The organization’s vision is a world in which all children and families have the opportunity to participate in high quality early childhood programs and all early childhood professionals have the education, the financial support, and the recognition of the community they so richly deserve.