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Send us Fan Mail The second class of a two-generation academy created by Commissioner Jacobs has now graduated. The Georgia 2Gen Academy is presented each year by the Georgia Children’s Cabinet and facilitated by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. Twenty-six representatives from state agencies, including DECAL and advocacy groups for children and youth, participa...

Send us Fan Mail As the new school year approaches, thousands of children across Georgia are getting ready to take their first steps into the world of structured learning in Georgia’s nationally recognized Pre-K Program. It’s an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming for both parents and children. Joining us to talk about preparing for Georgia's Pre-K Program are two Georgia’s Pre-K P...

Send us Fan Mail For nearly a decade, Richard Woods has served as State School Superintendent here in Georgia. He has over 30 years of experience in public education, from Pre-K through 12th-grade. He was a high school teacher for 14 years, serving a​s department chair and teacher mentor….he has also served in administrative roles like principal, assistant principal, Pre-K director, and alternativ...

Send us Fan Mail You’re getting two topics for the price of one on this week's podcast. First, it’s never too soon to start saving for your child’s college education. DECAL and Path2College 529 Plan are making that easier with the We Care Child Care Sweepstakes. And then, careers at DECAL…this year we celebrate 20 years as one of the few state agencies in the nation dedicated entirely to earl...

Send us Fan Mail Last month, we looked at the impact on DECAL of the $36-million Fiscal Year 2025 budget signed by Governor Kemp in May. There several bills passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed by the Governor that took effect July 1 and have an impact on DECAL. Joining us to talk about these new laws taking effect is Rian Ringsrud, Deputy Commissioner of Finance and Administration, a...

Send us Fan Mail Open Records play a crucial role in promoting an open government by providing citizens with the tools to engage with and understand the workings of their government. The concept of Open Records in grounded in the principles of transparency and accountability, ensuring that the public can obtain information about government operations, decisions, and expenditures. Joining us to tal...

Send us Fan Mail Last year, DECAL took over the provider management function of the CAPS Program, something previously handled by our contractor, Maximus. We implemented these changes to offer more streamlined and effective services to child care providers who play a crucial role in supporting children and families. A major component of offering more streamlined and effective services is a new sys...

Send us Fan Mail A Georgia teacher and author has a new children’s book that takes readers on a food tour of our state. Kelly Young-Silverman is a teacher at The Lovett School in Atlanta. She lives in Marietta with her husband and daughter.  The book is called “Hot Boiled Peanuts” and highlights lots of culinary delights from the Peach state. Hope you're hungry!  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In May, Governor Brian Kemp signed the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget at a signing ceremony in the North Wing of the State Capitol. It’s a $36-billion budget that includes raises for state employees and public school teachers as well as an influx of $97-million for Georgia’s Pre-K Program. Joining us to talk about the FY2025 Budget Impact on DECAL is Susan Adams, Deputy Commissioner for...

Send us Fan Mail With over 4,300 licensed child care programs in Georgia, our Child Care Services Division is dedicated to ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment through licensing, monitoring, and professional development.  We do it all to support the growth and development of Georgia’s young children.  Today we're chatting with Deputy Commissioner of Child Care Services Pam Stevens...

Send us Fan Mail When Author, Super Bowl Champion, and Valdosta Native Malcolm Mitchell sat down to write his second book for Georgia’s Pre-K Program, he set the story at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion where the First Couple welcomed students on a field trip to “The People’s House.” On May 8, thanks to Malcolm, First Lady Marty Kemp and DECAL Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs, this story became a reality...

Send us Fan Mail A career in state government offers employees an engaging and diverse work environment that allows them to fulfill personal and professional ambitions while taking pride in providing services that contribute to Georgia’s success. The work of a state employee impacts economic development, environmental quality, education, housing, health and overall quality of life issues for all G...

Send us Fan Mail For the eleventh consecutive year, DECAL is reminding families and caregivers of children to increase their awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. Joining us to talk about preventing vehicular heatstroke is Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety; Robert Hydrick, Communications Manager for GOHS; Dr. Andrew Grundstein, professo...

Send us Fan Mail Our Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning recently received the Heart of Community Award from CareSource, a nationally recognized, nonprofit managed care organization serving over 2 million members across five states including Georgia.  Joining us to talk about the award from CareSource is Senior Manager for Population Healing Lisa Pennington, and also Senior Specialist E...

Send us Fan Mail Friday, April 19, was a big day for DECAL, the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning, and all of our educators of the year being honored this year.  The Georgia Lottery and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon honoring our three Early Childhood Educators of the Year and our two Georgia’s Pre-K Program Teachers of the Year.  Joining us to look back on th...

Send us Fan Mail It might be May but the Summer of 2024 is just around the corner…starts June 20 according to the calendar, but really kicks in sooner than that here in Georgia.  The question is….are you ready?  Joining us to talk about Summer Plans in Georgia is Sonja Steptoe, Communications and Outreach Manager in our Quality Innovations and Partnerships Division, Cindy Kicklighter is Nutrition...

Send us Fan Mail This fall will be the 32nd year of Georgia’s Pre-K Program which now serves nearly 72,000 students statewide.  This year we are making significant improvements to PANDA, the Pre-K Application and Database Access system for providers. Joining us today to talk about Georgia’s Pre-K Program and the online improvements is Susan Adams, Deputy Commissioner for Georgia’s Pre-K Program an...

Send us Fan Mail In March, DECAL released the results of our most recent Economic Impact Study, which evaluates the importance of the early care and education industry to the state’s economy. This is the third Economic Impact Study we have commissioned, following the first in 2008 and the second in 2016. Like previous studies, this report is a collaboration between researchers at the Georgia State...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL will celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week in Georgia May 6-10, 2024, as we have done for the last four years in the first full week of May. Similar to Georgia’s Pre-K Week, and Inclusive Early Learning Week, this special week in May reminds us that the early years in a child’s life provide a key opportunity to establish safe and secure relationships and support healthy so...

Send us Fan Mail Despite advancements in technology and all of the screen time each of us total up in a month, the public library continues to be a popular place for individuals and families here in Georgia. There are 410 public libraries across the state…and that library card holds more value than ever.  With National Library Week coming up April 7-13, this is a great time to talk about the Georg...

Send us Fan Mail In December, DECAL and the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning announced our three winners for Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year. Joining us today is Laura Wagner, Executive Director for the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning; Miranda Murphy is our Practice and Support Services Outreach and Project Manager.  And ou...

Send us Fan Mail Today they may be learning their colors, shapes, and letters…but before you know it, those four-year-olds in Georgia’s Pre-K Program will be all grown up and headed to technical school or college.  That’s why each year we join Path2College 529 Plan and the Georgia Student Finance Commission for our Pre-K to College Sweepstakes.  Joining us this week to talk about Pre-K to College...

Send us Fan Mail During the COVID pandemic, DECAL offered POWER payments to all eligible early learning professionals and staff here in Georgia.  POWER stood for Providing our workforce essential recognition and at $1,000 per person in three rounds totaled over $118 million in supplemental payments from the American Rescue Plan. Today POWER has become POWER-ED, a wage supplement paid through DECAL...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL's Thriving Child Care Business Academy opened its virtual doors in September 2023. The Academy offers a wide selection of free online trainings and educational resources to help owners and administrators of child care programs learn the best management practices that will help their businesses thrive. Joining us to talk more about the Academy is Quality Innovations and...

Send us Fan Mail An Early Childhood Care and Education Student at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro has been named as the school’s 2024 GOAL Student. Ashley Ford is a mother of two daughters and a child care teacher at Kids World Learning Center in Statesboro. Ashley joins us for this week's podcast, along with Sarah Beverley, who is a Student Navigator and GOAL coordinator at the coll...