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Send us Fan Mail For most kids, summer means school’s out…but for some younger high-risk children in Georgia, it’s a critical time for them to prepare to enter Georgia’s Pre-K Program or Kindergarten in the fall.  Our Summer Transition Program is currently underway and continues through July 12.  Our guests are Meghan McNail, Summer Transition and Outreach Manager, and Julie Barnett with Kindercar...

Send us Fan Mail In 2011, Atlanta-based CDC joined with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and the Heath Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau to launch “Learn the Signs. Act Early," an initiative to address skyrocketing rates of autism among American children.  Jennie Couture, DECAL's Director of Practice and Support Services, s...

Send us Fan Mail Our 2016 Economic Impact Study of the Early Care and Education Industry in Georgia showed that early care and education provides more than 67,000 industry jobs statewide.  The DECAL Scholars program promotes high-quality, stable learning environments for Georgia’s children, by supporting the early care and education professionals who work with them day after day.  DECAL administer...

Send us Fan Mail Child care providers sharing ideas, success stories, and lessons learned during their experience in our Quality Rated Program.  That’s the idea behind the Quality Rated Peer Support Network, established in 2015 as an additional support to providers. We'll talk with Rachael Lee, Quality Rated Peer Support Network Specialist, and Michelle Smith-Lank, owner and director of the K...

Send us Fan Mail For the sixth consecutive year, DECAL and several other state agencies are calling for families and caregivers of children to have a heightened awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.  From our Child Care Services Division, we will talk with Rhonda Parker and Dana Morrison, both Directors of Field Operations, about the Look Again campaign.  Support the...

Send us Fan Mail We all know how difficult it is to live healthy and eat healthy, especially with demanding schedules at the office and at home.  But here at DECAL, we have a group of health-minded employees who work hard to keep it top of mind.  DECAL Business Analyst Barbara Sanders, part of our IT division, chairs the Wellness Committee and joins us to talk about the mission of the group.  Supp...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL is a statewide agency but we realize the real work in promoting early childhood education and working with children and their families takes place at a grass roots level in cities and towns across the state.  That’s why earlier this year we launched our Early Education Community Partnership initiative and named community coordinators in each of our six regions.  Our special...

Send us Fan Mail Since 1993, Georgia has had a nationally recognized Pre-K Program funded by the Georgia Lottery that prepares four year olds for success in Kindergarten.  Children four years of age on September 1 of the current school year who are Georgia residents are eligible to attend Georgia's Pre-K Program.  This year, we have over 81,000 students enrolled in over 3,800 classrooms aroun...

Send us Fan Mail School will be out soon and Georgia children will be participating in summer camps, church camps, cheer camps, and other traditional activities.  DECAL and Quality Care for Children are again collaborating to help parents ensure the camps they have chosen are safe places for children to play and learn.  On this episode, we talk with Pam Tatum, CEO at Quality Care for Children, and...

Send us Fan Mail Building on the success of Quality Rated and several of Georgia’s early learning programs, Governor Brian Kemp and DECAL have announced the creation of a language and literacy endorsement.  We know that early learning provides a strong foundation for the development of children’s reading skills and this endorsement will only strengthen that foundation. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail You can’t tell the story of Georgia’s nationally recognized Pre-K Program without quickly coming across the name Zell Miller.  After all, it was Governor Miller who in 1990 proposed the creation of the Georgia Lottery for Education…and that the lottery would support a new preschool program and college scholarship.  In 1992, the referendum passed and a pilot program brought 750 at-...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL licenses and monitors around 4,600 child care programs in Georgia to ensure that they provide safe, healthy, and nurturing environments. On average, our Child Care Services consultants make 12,000 unannounced annual visits…a minimum of two per provider each year…to inspect and support licensed child care programs.  Today, we will take you on a "walk through" of one...

Send us Fan Mail There have been some recent changes in our System Reform Division, the home of Quality Rated.  Former Deputy Commissioner for System Reform Kristin Bernhard accepted a position with The Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago.  Former DECAL Director of Research and Policy Analysis, Dr. Bentley Ponder, will follow Kristin in this important role.  Learn more about Bentley and his 14 yea...

Send us Fan Mail Each summer here in Georgia, eligible organizations help DECAL and the US Department of Agriculture serve healthy meals to children when school is not in session.  Our Summer Food Service Program reimburses these organizations for the cost of providing free meals and again this year we are looking for sponsors.  Our guests are Sonja Adams, Nutritional Services Director of Provider...

Send us Fan Mail It’s never too early to be thinking about your child’s college education...even if your child is in Georgia’s Pre-K Program.  That’s the idea behind the Path from Pre-K to College Sweepstakes, happening March 15 to April 30 and sponsored by DECAL and the Path2College 529 Plan.  Our special guest is Mitch Seabaugh, Executive Director of the Path2College 529 Plan.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Here at DECAL, we’re committed to ensuring that Georgia's youngest citizens receive high quality services to prepare them for school and for life. To help meet this commitment, we’ve developed the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS) where early childhood educators can create and maintain a profile and search and register for the latest training.  Recently GaPDS wa...

Send us Fan Mail For decades, Georgia Public Broadcasting has been the perfect teacher’s aide welcomed in classrooms all across the state.  Now with robust content across all of their platforms…on air and online….there are even more resources for early childhood educators.  Our special guest is Laura Evans, director of education at GPB, where she plans and implements education projects and oversee...

Send us Fan Mail For the fourth consecutive year, we’re seeking applications for Georgia’s Pre-K Program Teachers of the Year.  Since 2016, DECAL has recognized a winner from a local public school system and a private child care center.  Joining us to talk about this program are Meghan McNail, Summer Transition and Outreach Manager for Georgia’s Pre-K Program, and our 2018-2019 Teachers of the Yea...

Send us Fan Mail All this week, the State of Georgia and all of us here at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning are celebrating Inclusive Early Learning Week.  It’s our effort to increase public awareness and advocacy for inclusion…and to celebrate inclusive classrooms here in Georgia.  Here to talk about this special week and how you can get involved is Brandy Lochetta, Program Direc...

Send us Fan Mail From rolling over and crawling…to walking and playing, your child’s developmental milestones are something worth celebrating!  But they also offer important clues about your child’s overall development.  On this episode we talk with Bridget Ratajczak, Child Development Specialist in DECAL's Instructional Supports Division. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The National Association for the Education of Young Children says that early childhood inclusion means that every infant and young child and their family has the right...regardless of ability…to participate in activities as full members of families, classrooms, communities, and society.  Here in Georgia, we celebrate Inclusive Early Learning Week February 11-15, 2019.  This week w...

Send us Fan Mail Since 1965, Head Start has offered comprehensive services to children and families to ensure that children, especially those of low income, are healthy and ready to learn. Learn more about Georgia's Head Start Collaboration Office and meet Director Allison Setterlind.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Carrie Ashbee, Executive Director of the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning, is interviewed by John Clark with Georgia News Network about DECAL's efforts to assist child care programs in Southwest Georgia impacted by Hurricane Michael. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail It’s a big week here on Capitol Hill as the 2019 Georgia General Assembly convenes.  There’s a new governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, over 30 new house members, some new senators, new committee chairs.  Always an exciting time when the Legislature is in session…even more so this year with the 155th Georgia General Assembly.  We'll discuss with Commissioner Amy...

Send us Fan Mail On November 30, 2018, Georgia’s First Lady Sandra Deal celebrated a milestone in her eight-year commitment to serving our state’s youngest learners and their families.  On that day, she visited her 1,000th school since Governor Deal took office in 2011.  Now, as the Deals prepare to leave office, we grab a few minutes with Mrs. Deal at the Governor's Mansion. Support the show