In the heart of Memphis, where community meets opportunity, Dream Academy Learning Center is planting the seeds for lifelong success. Founded by veteran educator Alexandria Boddie in 2020, Dream Academy is a preschool with a vision rooted in excellence, equity, and care. Thanks to an $18,000 Inner City Economic Development Loan from EDGE, Dream Academy is poised to expand its impact, increasing access to high-quality childcare.
Alexandria Boddie’s journey into education began long before she opened Dream Academy. As a high school babysitter turned college nanny, Boddie discovered a passion for nurturing young minds. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in educational administration – credentials she used to build a 15-year career in local and charter schools as a teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. But it was her firsthand experience working with families and seeing the gaps in early childhood services that sparked the idea for Dream Academy.
Dream Academy Learning Center began humbly with just four children in a family day home. It quickly grew into a thriving, licensed childcare center that today serves 30 children and employs seven early childhood educators. The center’s growth is a direct response to what many parents in Memphis already know: there is a critical shortage of affordable, high-quality childcare options that also prioritize academic enrichment and whole-child development.
With the help of EDGE’s Inner City Economic Development Loan program, Dream Academy is preparing to serve more than 60 children in the near future, doubling its current capacity. The $18,000 loan will foster both façade and interior improvements, including opening up walls, adding a door from the classroom to the restroom hallway, refreshing interior and exterior paint, and installing a three-compartment sink in the kitchen area for food service. These developments will benefit young learners, create new teaching positions, and support current staff – expanding employment opportunities in the community.
At the core of Dream Academy’s philosophy is a focus on academics, Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), and athletics. The center’s curriculum goes beyond the ABCs to include literacy, math, sports, and science-based learning that challenges children to think critically and creatively. Scholars ages 1 to 5 engage in developmentally appropriate activities that promote motor skills, cognitive growth, and social-emotional learning. Through community service opportunities, family nights, and parent engagement programming, Dream Academy also extends its reach beyond the classroom, fostering stronger families alongside better learners.
This holistic, family-first model is a powerful reminder that early education is an investment in the future of a neighborhood, a city, and a region. For many families in Memphis, access to safe, enriching, and affordable early childhood education is a game changer. It helps working parents stay employed, prepares children for long-term academic success, and strengthens local economies from the ground up.
EDGE’s Inner City Economic Development Loan program was designed to assist exactly this kind of business – one that is community-minded, mission-driven, and well-positioned. By investing in Dream Academy Learning Center, EDGE is helping to expand both access to early childhood education and pathways to economic mobility in Memphis.
As Dream Academy continues to grow, so does its impact, both through the students it teaches and the example it sets. With the right support, small businesses like Dream Academy can lead, transform, and inspire.