"Education is the cornerstone

of any community's quality of life and economic development,"

said John Boothby, President of the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

"Sheltering Arms offers an unparalleled opportunity for our community,

one that will help prepare our children for success in school and that

will ultimately help our businesses attract and retain a quality, stable

workforce."

Sheltering Arms' new centers

will be the first preschools serving the six South Fulton municipalities

to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young

Children (NAEYC). Founded in 1888 by Atlanta volunteers, Sheltering Arms

has become a nationally recognized model for its success in preparing

young children for school.

Because of Sheltering Arms'

track record in delivering quality, effective early childhood education,

Fulton County School System selected Sheltering Arms for a unique partnership.

In an effort to improve school readiness, three of the new Sheltering

Arms facilities in South Fulton will be located on or near school campuses.

Research has shown that quality early childhood education improves test

scores, cuts high school drop out rates, and reduces the need for remedial

education.

'Sheltering Arms' new

center on the campus of Camp Creek Middle School opened on August 11 of

this year. The center serves 250 children ages 6 weeks through 5 years

old with affordable, quality preschool, child care and Georgia Pre-K,

as well as Head Start.�In addition to the support of Fulton County Schools,

the new Sheltering Arms centers are being made possible by funding from

Smart Start Georgia, Head Start, Fulton County Community Development Block

Grant funds, BellSouth, the Coca-Cola Foundation, the UPS Foundation,

Bank of America, Delta Airlines, Georgia Power, and others.�Sheltering

Arms recently announced an anonymous $1.5 million challenge, bringing

the total raised for the four new South Fulton centers to $14.2 million,

$800,000 shy of the campaign's goal of $15 million.

In addition to the new center

at Camp Creek Middle School, Sheltering Arms opened its East Point center

near Hamilton Holmes Elementary School in June 2003. Two more facilities,

one on the campus of the new Oakley Township Elementary School near Union

City, and the other across from the South Fulton Government Center on

Stonewall Tell Road, will open in Spring 2004.

Sheltering Arms is metro Atlanta's

oldest and largest nonprofit child development agency, and one of its

most respected. The agency serves more than 3,400 children each year with

quality early childhood education and comprehensive family support in

16 centers in seven counties.

All Sheltering Arms centers

meet the accreditation standards of the National Association for the Education

of Young Children (NAEYC), and all offer scholarship assistance to students

based on income and family size. Sheltering Arms, a United Way funded

agency, has been recognized by Cornell University's Empowering Families

Project, the Harvard Family Research Project, the National Association

of State Boards of Education, and others for the effectiveness of its

programs. Last year 92% of Sheltering Arms' children met or exceeded

school readiness requirements and developmental milestones. The remaining

8% were either new to the program or were referred for services to address

special needs.

For information on Sheltering

Arms Child Development and Family Support, please call 404-523-2767 or

visit www.shelteringarmsforkids.com.