About

In 1957, a small group of church women began a ministry in the Dalton neighborhood that helped lower income families. By 1958 Friendship House was established to serve the needs of neighborhood children and their families. Today, Friendship House is located at 1300 S. Hamilton Street in a facility that was thoughtfully built for this exact purpose. Friendship House offers preschool education and child care for 85 children between 6 weeks old to 5 years old. Friendship House offers these services from 7:00 AM- 5:30 PM. Friendship House was recognized 3 Star Quality Rated by the State of Georgia. Quality Rated is Georgia’s system to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early education and school‐age care programs. Similar to rating systems for hotels or restaurants, Quality Rated assigns a rating (one star, two star, or three star) to early education and school‐age care programs that go above and beyond minimum licensing standards. By participating in Quality Rated, child care programs demonstrate their commitment to continuous quality improvement. 

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In January of 2026, Whitfield County-Dalton Daycare Center and Friendship House announced a new affiliation, which will result in an operational partnership between these two well-established and highly respected local childcare providers. This affiliation marks a significant milestone in their shared commitment to delivering affordable, high-quality early childhood education and childcare services to families in Northwest Georgia.

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Since 1971 and 1957, respectively, Whitfield-Dalton Daycare and Friendship House have provided services and support for low-income families, nurturing young learners and offering safe, stimulating, and educational early-learning environments. Both centers are nationally accredited facilities and have been awarded the highest 3-Star rating by Georgia’s Quality Rated program. 

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The decision to affiliate was shaped by extensive community dialogue, input from parents, local leaders, educators, and stakeholders from both centers as well as key community organizations. Recognizing the growing need for dependable, low-cost childcare and early education — especially for working parents and low- to moderate-income families — the two organizations committed to working collaboratively to expand capacity, maintain high standards, and preserve affordability, with shared expertise, resources, and values.

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