It has been 37 years since the opening of Athens Drive High School, and with it, the birth of its Child Development Center. The preschool was a new idea for a community based school that could introduce students to the child development workforce as interns.

           “We teach and help develop proper mental and social skills,” said Director Paulette Hicks.

          The students are known around the whole high school as the Baby Jags, though some of them are not fond of the name and prefer to be called Junior Jags. The Jags have a structured day that consists of engaging in different centers around the room, circle time, etc. They get lunch and snacks from the cafeteria and have nap time. The center is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

         “ Every day is a different ballgame. My job never gets boring,” says Hicks.

           The Center has three teachers; Paulette Hicks, Jewel Hughes and Lorraine Saunders. Each teacher has been with the program for over 30 years. They really enjoy what they are doing, which makes the student interns enjoy it as well.

       “I love working with kids everywhere; church, my job, it’s fun interacting with them,” said Kaitlin Williford, senior.

        Students can take Childhood Education after taking the prerequisite Parenthood and Child Development.  In addition there is the Physical Education Pupil Instructor (PEPI) program where students get the chance to travel to different elementary schools and engage in different physical activities with them.

         Last year the Child Development Center was in danger of low enrollment and the issue still exists. Wake County schools operate on different schedules such as traditional, modified and year-round. The fact that Athens only runs on a traditional calendar leaves out potential kids who might run on the year round or modified calendar. The center is still accepting kids three to five years olds.