Today we’d like to introduce you to Malori Doxsee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born into my love of Early Childhood Education–my. mom is a Preschool Teacher and I am the oldest of 5 children. Because of this, caregiving has always been my second nature. I attended the University of Alabama where I received my B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and Early Childhood Education. I have worked with young children and families in a multitude of ways-babysitting, nannying, teaching, summer camp staff-you name it, Ive done it. I always had a personal goal of being the Director of a Preschool someday, but that felt like a very far off possibility. In 2020 I was given the opportunity to move into an Admin role at a local preschool in the Morningside neighborhood. Between the pandemic and leadership transitions within the program, I was essentially given the crash course on how to be a Preschool Director. I was promoted to Interim Director at 38 weeks pregnant with my first child and then there was no looking back. In 2020 my husband and I purchased our first home in the Historic West End neighborhood. We have gotten to watch the neighborhood grow and change in so many ways in the last 5 years, but most noticeable has been the influx of other young families. Everywhere we ventured with our son, we met other families and one of the most frequent first questions between parents is “What do you do for childcare?” More often that not families were heading out of the neighborhood in order to meet their childcare needs. I would often tell my husband how envious I was of the families in Morningside-they had several high-quality options in the neighborhood, and most families were able to walk and bike to school. I wished for an option like that in our area. After the birth of our second child and some changes to my previous Director role, I found myself being a stay at home parent trying to figure out what was next for our family. I started to look around at commercial properties in the area and one day our building appeared as a new option for my search and I immediately reached out to the landlord. Since then, we’ve continued to keep the ball rolling and are anxious and excited for Rise to open this August for the 25-26 school year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have served as Director of a Preschool previously, so the ins and outs of running a school are not new to me. I have not had to create all of the systems that you need to put into place from the ground up before though, so that has been the biggest obstacle for me so far. I am also doing this project with my 1 year old and 3 year old in tow, which keeps me extra busy!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
There are so many options when it comes to choosing early childhood education for your child, and as it goes with most things in life, there is no one size fits all philosophy. I am trained in the educational approach of play-based learning, which is exactly what it sounds like-teaching children through play. A quick google search will lead you to some articles explaining why science backs play-based learning as the best approach in early childhood. As someone who understands the philosophy behind the approach coupled with watching it unfold in the classroom, I absolutely love breaking it down for parents and caregivers. There are many, many years for children to sit at desks and get the more traditional education approach, there are only a few years in early childhood and they are pivotal to a child’s educational foundation. What I am most excited about in creating a space that is my own, is bringing the concept of “it takes a village” to life. Our school will be one branch of each child’s life. We are joining the child and their family unit, we aren’t just a stopover for children during the day. All of our educators will collaborate with families to ensure we meet each child exactly where they are, have transparent, open conversations with parents and caregivers, and to be able to work alongside families to support each child as needed.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I have three younger brothers and we are all very close in age. My parents were divorced, so my single mom raised 4 young children on her own. She gave us built-in playmates, there was always someone to play with and something to do. Putting 4 heads together often led to lots of imaginary play. I remember making a Pokemon hospital out of an old box and playing Nurse Joy as my brothers brought in their injured Pokemon for checkups, pulling out mom’s old type writer and setting up a cash register next to the shelf of VHS to make our own Blockbuster, and most fondly, adventuring around the neighborhood with our friends on bicycles.
Pricing:
- Ages 2-3, $875/month
- Ages 3-5, $875/month
- Hours: 9 am-1pm
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.risepreschool.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risepreschoolatl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573692375295
