MILLEDGEVILLE,Ga. — Registration for the new daycare partnership between Georgia College and the Baldwin County School District (BCSD) is open to the general public through Friday.

Priority registration for the Montessori Academy at the Early Learning Center was given to Georgia College and BCSD employees. Since the need was met for those two parties, officials opened registration to the public the first of this month. In this unique partnership, Georgia College is providing staff and funding while the school district provides the space in a currently underutilized wing of the Early Learning Center. In addition to an innovative childcare option for the community, GC students in early childhood education, nursing and psychology will also help staff the program in order to gain college credit and experience.

Childcare options range from six weeks to 5 years old, and the application can be found online at www.montessorielc.com. There is a $25 application fee and tuition varies from $125 to $130 per week depending on the child’s age.

ELC Director Lori Smith will still have charge over the entire building, but Carol Gledhill has been tapped as assistant director to oversee the Montessori operations. She started at her new post at the end of February and is no stranger to Baldwin County or Georgia College. Gledhill received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from GC and has worked in education for the last 12 years. She comes to the new Montessori Academy from Bibb County’s Bright from the Start pre-K program.

Gledhill said the Montessori Academy can hold up to 118 kids, but she is not aware of how many slots are available to the general public. If there are more applicants than slots available families will be selected on a lottery basis and notified either through email or phone call.

“It looks like we’ve had a huge influx of 1- and 2-year-olds, so we are looking for more 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds,” she said. “I know we have some spots available for the newborns, the six-week-olds.”

The new daycare option will run on the same academic calendar as the public school system and formally opens its doors at the start of the 2017-18 term.

The new assistant director added that they are accepting applications for staff as well.

“We’re still in the process of hiring more teachers,” Gledhill said. “The application is online until April 25. We’re also in the process with [human resources] at Georgia College to post a part-time staff. So we are still actively interviewing.”

Afterschool care will also be available until 5:30 p.m. through an option already in use by the district for an additional cost.

“What we’re really trying to get out to families is that Montessori is a new way of thinking for Milledgeville,” said Gledhill. “There’s nothing else like it in the community. The closest Montessori is in Macon, and so we’re just trying to let parents know that we can start teaching your child at six weeks old. A lot of times parents [think] it’s just going to be another daycare setting — not at all. Yes, we’ll have the baby beds; we’ll have the high chairs and all that kind of stuff because we do have to take care of the infants and toddlers with that kind of stuff. Developmentally, we’ll be working on all the standards and the guidelines when it comes to Montessori, and everybody on staff will be Montessori-certified.”