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Send us Fan Mail DECAL has joined the Georgia Department of Public Health in updating COVID-19 Guidance specifically for Georgia child care facilities.  The guidance, first released in August 2020, covers everything from COVID-19 prevention strategies, promoting vaccinations, and consistent and correct use of masks.  Joining us to talk about COVID-19 guidance for child care in Georgia is Pam Steve...

Send us Fan Mail This year DECAL and Voices for Georgia’s Children will celebrate the 11th Annual Georgia’s Pre-K Week, October 4-8, 2021.  In 1992, Governor Zell Miller launched a pilot program called Georgia’s Pre-K.  Pre-K Week is an opportunity for us to tell this great success story of Georgia’s Pre-K…a voluntary, free program available to all of Georgia’s four-year-olds, regardless of parent...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL recently developed a new process to ensure that all contracts with the agency are clear, achieve your objectives, and protect the department’s best interests.  The process also helps us with grant agreements.  Today we’re discussing this new process but listeners who might be interested in doing business with the state should stay tuned too because we will be discussing that...

Send us Fan Mail You probably know Jennifer Bridgman as the Process and Quality Improvement Manager in Child Care Services and Sha-de’ Thomas as our CAPS Quality Assurance and Training Consultant, but did you know they are both published authors writing about the COVID-19 impact on young children and children’s mental health?  The books are “When the People Stayed Home” and “Today at School."...

Send us Fan Mail You’ve probably heard about the Georgia’s Pre-K Program Teachers of the Year, something we’ve done since the 2016-2017 school year.  Now thanks to the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning, we are also recognizing early education teachers of children birth to preschool through the inaugural Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year Program.  Joining us to talk about...

Send us Fan Mail With the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the rise…and the number of Georgians fully vaccinated at less than fifty percent…there are many questions from families and parents about what to do with child care.  Joining us to talk about COVID-19 and child care in Georgia is Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner for Child Care Services, and Dr. Amber Schmidtke, an expert in...

Send us Fan Mail School bells are ringing for more than 60,000 of Georgia’s youngest learners as Georgia’s Pre-K Program begins the new school year. The first day of Georgia’s Pre-K Program varies based on school system and child care provider. Joining us to talk about Georgia’s Pre-K Program and this 29th year of operation is Faith Duncan, Director of Field Operations for Georgia’s Pre-K Program,...

Send us Fan Mail From the return of Georgia’s Pre-K Program to our return to in-person visits in child care programs, there’s a lot happening this week here at DECAL.  Join us as we catch up with Commissioner Jacobs on a wide variety of topics, many taken from today's headlines.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Here’s a fun fact:  The single largest employer in the State of Georgia…is the State of Georgia.  Georgia State Government is a large enterprise, composed of more than 80 entities with a common goal to improve the lives of Georgia's 10 million citizens. With nearly 68,000 employees, there are public service opportunities all across the state with positions located in all 159...

Send us Fan Mail It’s never too early to be thinking about your child’s college education…even for our youngest learners.  Now four lucky children attending Georgia child care programs have a chance to get an early start on their college savings plan thanks to Path2College 529 Plan and the We Care Child Care Sweepstakes.  Joining us is Mitch Seabaugh, Executive Director of the Path2College 529 Pla...

Send us Fan Mail On June 25, Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and Commissioner Jacobs visited one of our Summer Transition Program classes for Rising Kindergarten students at the Avant Learning Academy in Savannah.  This is a Quality Rated Program offering Georgia’s Pre-K.  Joining us today is Wanda Avant, owner and director of Avant Learning Academy.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail We made some new friends recently in Savannah who are helping children discover a love for reading in a very unique way.  During a visit to one of our Summer Transition Programs for Rising Kindergarten students, Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and Commissioner Jacobs introduced Ron Binkney and Lucky, a Golden Retriever who has turned the page in literacy for early lear...

Send us Fan Mail Here in Georgia school starts back beginning in late July and August and our Inclusion and Behavioral Support Team wants to help families and teachers get ready with tips, strategies, and tools to promote social-emotional learning and minimize challenging behaviors, especially after a pandemic.  The campaign is called “Planting SEEDS for a Successful School Year” using our SEEDS f...

Send us Fan Mail Here’s some great news for families who receive CAPS scholarship assistance in paying for child care. Through the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, DECAL has allocated around $95 million to help eligible Georgia families negatively impacted by the pandemic pay for child care.  We’re using this historic investment in early learning to support...

Send us Fan Mail For the eighth consecutive year, DECAL is calling for families and caregivers of children to increase awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. On Thursday, May 27, 2021, we held this virtual news conference with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the University of Georgia.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Quality Rated is Georgia’s system to determine, improve, and communicate the quality of programs that provide child care. Similar to rating systems for restaurants and hotels, Quality Rated (which is a three star system) assigns one, two or three stars to early education and school-age care programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements. After launching in 2012, today...

Send us Fan Mail As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues and availability improves, the focus is beginning to shift to vaccinating children, ages 12-15, and possibly younger in the near future.  There has also been a change in CDC guidance on the use of masks for those who are fully vaccinated.  What impact will that have on COVID guidance for Georgia child care?  Joining us on the podcast t...

Send us Fan Mail For the eighth consecutive year, DECAL is calling for families and caregivers to increase awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.  Joining us to talk about our annual Look Again campaign and ways to prevent pediatric vehicular heatstroke are Dana Morrison and Rhonda Parker, both directors of field operations with Child Care Services here at DECAL; and...

Send us Fan Mail This year is the 20th anniversary of the DECAL Scholars Program that provides financial and educational support to our early care and education workforce. The program is known for providing scholarships to assist with educational expenses, awards when you earn an ECE credential or degree, and incentives which provide a salary boost when you earn your entry level credential or high...

Send us Fan Mail Starting May 17, applications will be open for the $1,000 POWER Supplemental Payments.  The payments were announced earlier this year by Governor Brian Kemp and Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs…a one-time, $1,000 bonus payment to some 65,000 early learning professionals and staff.  The bonuses will be funded through the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. ...

Send us Fan Mail This school year has been challenging …however before you know it, the 2021-2022 school year will begin.  We are hearing from families who have concerns about whether their children are ready for the upcoming school year.  Today we are going to focus on the transition to Kindergarten and what families can be doing now to prepare for a successful transition.  Joining us to talk abo...

Send us Fan Mail In May, for the first time, DECAL will celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week as  a reminder for all of us that the early years in a child’s life provide a key opportunity to establish safe and secure relationships and support healthy social and emotional development.  Joining us to talk about Children’s Mental Health Week is Laura Lucas, our new Director of Infant and Early Chil...

Send us Fan Mail Educators, school nutrition staff, early care providers, and agriculture professionals will come together April 27 through May 1 for the eighth Georgia Farm to School and Early Care and Education Summit.  Joining us to talk about the event is Kimberly Della Donna, Farm to School Director at Georgia Organics, and Diana Myers, Nutrition Health Educator here at DECAL.    Support the...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL and the Technical College System of Georgia have received a $150,000 grant from the Aspen Institute to increase economic mobility and well-being for students who are parents.  Joining us to talk about the Aspen Policy Acceleration Partnership is Donna Johnson, Family Support Director for Development and Partnerships with Georgia’s CAPS Program, and Cayanna Good, Assistant Co...

Send us Fan Mail On March 8, all Georgia Pre-K teachers, child care teachers, and child care staff in programs with a license or exemption from DECAL became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.  Since then, teachers and staff have been flocking to nine mass vaccination sites from Clarksville to Savannah as well as local health departments and pharmacies to get vaccinated.  On today’s podcast, we’re goi...