06/16/2026
It’s always an honor to work in a school district where several of our “Deco children” currently attend school.
Walker Early Learning Center was originally constructed in 1957 and has undergone two additions/renovations since, but much of the facility has remained largely untouched for nearly forty years. The current renovation and addition project for Walker Early Learning Center has been in development for several years, and it is exciting to finally see work beginning on site. If you have been around the Wayne County area recently, you may have already noticed the construction trailer behind the school and the early phases of construction underway. We’re excited to see this project really spring into action over summer break.
The project will include a refreshed exterior entrance, reworked parent pick-up roadways that better utilize the covered walkway at the front of the school, a new indoor playroom, upgraded lighting and HVAC systems, and updated finishes throughout the facility.
What makes this project especially unique — and something we believe can serve as a model for school districts across the state — is the concept of embedded learning through design. Each hallway and major area of the school has been designed around a different biome. Custom wall graphics have been thoughtfully created specifically for this project to showcase animals, shown to scale, that inhabit each biome, complete with measurement markers and educational facts alongside them. Students will be able to stand beside the animals and better understand their true size and scale in an engaging, hands-on way.
With a former elementary school teacher among Deco’s ownership and a former school superintendent as part of our team, it is our hope that this project will inspire and engage the district’s youngest learners from the moment they walk through the doors — creating opportunities for passive learning throughout their beautifully renovated school environment.
