It's almost an insider's secret, passed from parent to parent through word-of-mouth. The Suburban Nursery School and Pre-K is well known by those in Decatur looking for a home-away-from-home for their littlest tykes.
That popularity has kept it in business 50 years, a milestone recently marked by owner Joanna Tatum. The Avondale resident, who often walks three miles to work, was the mother of a 6-year-old when she became director of the center on Sycamore Drive.
"I've been here so long that I now have kids whose parents came here," said Tatum, 73. "I've even had grownups who came here as children come back just to walk through it again and tell me what they remember. That always makes me feel good."
Tatum said she didn't plan getting into day care and early childhood education, but friendship and fate intervened. Her best friend, Margaret Tatum, had founded the center with her husband Pete, but died two years after it opened. The widower and best friend eventually married, and not long afterward Joanna Tatum took over as director.
"It was such a shock when she died, and we did everything we could just to keep it going," said Tatum. "We never once thought about selling; it became our life, and it's been wonderful."
Tatum's husband died in 1994, but she kept the school going. The 75 students arrive as early as 6:30 a.m., and the last one is picked up at 6 p.m. No matter what time of day, Tatum has the same approach to her charges.
"You have to be a mother to all the children when they're away from their own mothers," she said. "I give lots of hugs and kisses and make them feel that this is their home away from home. People always tell me there's a homey feeling here It's not a big, fancy place, but it is homey. And everybody says I really have patience."
One of those people is her daughter, 55-year-old Connie Moore, who became director alongside her mother three years ago.
"I grew up here with my mom," she said. "At that time, we kept children through school age and had an after-school program. I remember everyone said that Mrs. Tatum was this great, organized businesswoman, very hard-working and kid-friendly. Now I know there is no task in this center she hasn't done herself. She pours herself into it. I go home every day and say to my husband, 'I don't know how she's done this for so long.' I have a whole new appreciation for her after being here."
Moore, a mom herself, left the corporate world to help her mother with the school.
"I feel for parents because I had to go through what they do, trying to find child care," she said. "There is a dearth of quality child care, so we do our best to work with them. "
Over the years the school has added a lottery-funded pre-K program and an outdoor play area, but it has stayed small.
"One of the things we have that's so great here is that we're in a nice neighborhood," said Moore. "The children can look out windows and see bikers, dog walkers and skateboarders going by."
Sarah Cobb, whose 3-year-old attends, said, "It looks more like a home in a neighborhood, not a corporate day care. It's very family-oriented, and I really like that."
Things will stay that way as long as she's in charge, said Tatum. "And I have no plans for leaving."
"Milestones" covers significant events and times in the lives of metro Atlantans, big or small, well-known or not. Tell us of a milestone we should write about. Send information to hm_cauley@yahoo.com; call 404-514-6162; or mail to Milestones, c/o Jamila Robinson, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30346.
