THOMAS COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — Thomasville parents struggling to find nearby childcare will soon have a new local option, as the Thomasville YMCA partners with Saint Thomas Episcopal Church to open an early learning center serving children as young as 6 weeks old.
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Paige Sewell and her husband welcomed their first child, George, in November 2025. Sewell said she recognized the childcare challenge in Thomasville long before her son arrived.
"I knew before I even got pregnant that we were going to probably have a hard time figuring out what we would do with our child, because we're both working parents. And there's just not a huge surplus of daycare opportunities in Thomasville, unfortunately," Sewell said.
The challenge Sewell describes is widespread. According to the Center for American Progress, 46% of children in Georgia aged 6 and under lack access to licensed childcare options.
The new early learning center will serve children from 6 weeks old through age 3, with a curriculum focused on school readiness. The facility features 7 classrooms and a new playground.
Thomasville YMCA CEO Tom Everett said the center is designed to do more than provide supervision.
"It's not just a babysitting service that's being provided to our community; this is actually early learning, and so we're helping to develop these children, even at a very early age, so that they're ready to start school. And this is going to contribute as the progression, you know, as these children age up, there's going to be positive outcomes in the future that are going to come from children getting an early positive start and foundation," Everett said.
For Sewell, the new center brings peace of mind.
"It's so great knowing that from, you know, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., this will be open. We have somewhere for George to go, somewhere safe that we have just reliable care for," Sewell said.
The center is not yet officially open. It plans to open in phases as it continues hiring staff, with childcare potentially available as soon as September. Parents interested in learning more, enrolling a child, or applying for employment can visit here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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