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Send us Fan Mail Prevent Child Abuse Georgia has rebranded to Positive Childhood Alliance Georgia . This shift marks a change in the organization’s evolving commitment to creating safe and nurturing environments for children. In this episode we speak with Jennifer Stein, Executive Director at PCA Georgia to understand what inspired this change and what the future looks like for the organization. S...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about building learning environments where every child, regardless of ability, can thrive. DECAL has introduced an exciting initiative, the Adaptive Learning Mini-Grant Opportunity! Joining us this week is Peggy Sutton, Jenn Dover, Esther Whitaker, plus Shaheen Ehani, Director at Kids Galaxy of Marietta, and Abby Brooke, Assistant Director of Doodlebugs Childca...

Send us Fan Mail This week we’re talking about a great partnership between DECAL and Georgia’s Path2College 529 Plan: the annual We Care, Child Care Sweepstakes. Now open for entries, this initiative will award four Georgia families—each from different regions—a $1,529 college scholarship for their child. At the same time, the child care program each winner attends will receive $1,529 cash to bols...

Send us Fan Mail With a workforce of 800 employees spanning Georgia, the DECAL team travels extensively between cities to visit child care programs and engage with community partners and advocates. Through their experiences, they have accumulated valuable insights regarding the best dining establishments in Georgia…from sit-down meals to sweet treats to enjoy along the highways and byways.  Joinin...

Send us Fan Mail At their May 15 quarterly meeting, members of the Board of Early Care and Learning elected new officers. The 14-member body is an advisory board to Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, all appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to seat representing their congressional districts. Joining us to talk about their new roles on the Board of Early C...

Send us Fan Mail This week we're diving into the new CAPS Advisory Councils…one for parents and one for providers. These groups are here to share insights and feedback on the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program to help make it better and easier to access. Joining us is Elisabetta Kasfir, Deputy Commissioner for Federal Programs, Amy Roys, CAPS Director for Development and Partnership...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re diving into the exciting world of internships with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Whether you're a student considering a career in early childhood education or someone looking to make a meaningful impact in the lives of young children, this episode is packed with valuable insights and information that will guide you through the internship oppor...

Send us Fan Mail From 2020-2023, DECAL received $2B+ in federal relief funds, fueling initiatives for Georgia’s child care providers, workforce & families. Dive into the impact w/ insights from DECAL & Child Trends. Joining us to talk about COVID-19 relief funding and to help us follow the money is an impressive panel of guests: Shayna Funke, DECAL Director of Research Partnerships and Bus...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL has recently announced the launch of our Quality Rated Workforce Bonus payments, a groundbreaking effort that stands among the first of its kind in the nation. This initiative underscores DECAL's unwavering commitment to investing in our dedicated teachers and support staff. These professionals play an essential role in providing high-quality early education and care fo...

Send us Fan Mail For the twelfth consecutive year, DECAL is reminding families and caregivers of children to increase their awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. This year’s “Look Again” campaign aims to ensure that families, child care providers, and the public understand how to prevent pediatric vehicular heatstroke and stay vigilant during Georgia's hottest m...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we're discussing the pivotal changes and initiatives that are reshaping literacy training in Georgia. Beginning July 1, all child care providers will be required to obtain at least 2 hours of state-approved language and literacy training annually. This move underscores DECAL’s commitment to enhancing language and literacy outcomes for even our youngest learners. Joinin...

Send us Fan Mail This week we’re diving into an impactful program designed for early care and education professionals called Physical Activity Learning Sessions, or PALS. This training initiative is centered on enhancing the knowledge of physical activity best practices for children from birth to five years old. Here to talk about the transformative potential of PALS is Diana Myers, Nutrition and...

Send us Fan Mail In 2024, film and television productions spent $2.6 billion in Georgia. If you’re a parent or know someone with young children who want to get into the world of TV and movies, today’s episode is for you. Whether it’s a background role or even the start of something bigger, acting in movies and TV can be an awarding experience, but it’s important to know how to get involved in the...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL will celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week in Georgia May 5th – 9th, as we have done for the last five years during the first full week of May. Similar to Georgia’s Pre-K Week, and Inclusive Early Learning Week, this special week reminds us that the early years in a child’s life provide a key opportunity to establish safe and secure relationships and support healthy social...

Send us Fan Mail Licensed Family Child Care Learning Homes and Child Care Learning Centers in Georgia who two or three-star Quality Rated are eligible for grants aimed at fostering early language and literacy skills of infants and toddlers. The LITTLE grants, standing for Lifting Infants and Toddlers Through Language-Rich Environments, equip providers with increased knowledge and skills in buildin...

Send us Fan Mail Today we are diving into a topic that impacts just about everyone in this age where technology is a part of our day-to-day lives. That topic is how to protect our “personally identifiable information”, also known as PII and application security. From financial transactions to healthcare records, protecting ourselves in the digital world has become increasingly important. Joining u...

Send us Fan Mail Recently administrators and advocates for early childhood education visited the State Capitol where the House and Senate proclaimed that Georgia’s Pre-K Week will be observed October 6-10, 2025, with legislators visiting classrooms to read to our young learners. Joining us this week on the podcast is Judy Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children, Meghan McNa...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we're excited to share significant changes happening within DECAL’s Community Partnership Team. In a bold move to enhance collaboration and engagement, the team is shifting its outreach strategy from a broad regional approach to a more focused, subregion-specific model. Joining us to discuss our Community Partnership Team is Jill Taylor, Director of Community Partnersh...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s podcast, we’re thrilled to announce that DECAL’s own Workforce Supports Supervisor Angela Shelton has been accepted into the 2025 cohort of the National Association of State Leaders in Early Education (NASLEE) Leadership Academy. This prestigious 12-month executive leadership program is specifically designed for state early education administrators. Angela joins us...

Send us Fan Mail The CAPS 2Gen Student Parent Pilot is an innovative initiative launched by DECAL in collaboration with the Technical College System of Georgia and WorkSource Georgia OneStops. This pilot program focuses on supporting the Student Parent Priority Group by addressing barriers to educational success through a holistic, family-centered approach. Joining us to talk about the CAPS 2Gen S...

Send us Fan Mail Today we are discussing a critical issue: preventing choking in childcare settings. Choking is a leading cause of injury and even death in young children, but it is preventable with the right knowledge and practice. Joining us to talk about the prevention of choking in child care is Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner of Child Care Services; April Rogers, CCS Director of Enforcement...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re passionate about teaching in Georgia’s Pre-K Program, making a difference in the lives of young learners, and want to be recognized for your hard work, this episode is for you!  DECAL is now accepting applications for Georgia’s Pre-K Program Teachers of the Year for 2025-2026. Joining us to talk about our Pre-K Teachers of the Year, the application process, and maybe som...

Send us Fan Mail For the fourth consecutive year, DECAL and the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning are recognizing three individuals as Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year for 2024-2025. Joining us to talk about serving as Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year is Zina Hadjaz from The Quadrilingual Academy in Smyrna, Infant Teacher of the Year (0-15 months), Laura...

Send us Fan Mail The 2025 Georgia General Assembly is in session and one of the heavy lifts, as usual, is the Governor’s budget for FY2026. Joining us to talk about the proposed FY2026 state budget and its impact on DECAL is Rian Ringsrud, Deputy Commissioner of Finance and Administration. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week we’re diving into an exciting new addition to one of Atlanta’s cultural gems. In January, the Atlanta History Center unveiled a brand-new 5,000 square foot interactive exhibit where children ages 1-8 can experience the city through play, exploration, and story telling. Joining us to talk about the new Goizueta Children’s Experience is Shatavia Elder, Vice President of Ed...