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Send us Fan Mail This summer, kids throughout Georgia will continue to have access to free nutritious meals and snacks through Happy Helpings, Georgia’s Summer Food Service Program. Joining us today to tell us more about Happy Helpings are Director of Nutrition Services Tamika Boone, Marketing and Outreach Manager Cindy Kicklighter, and special guest Deborah Wilson, the founder and director of Geo...

Send us Fan Mail If you have been around DECAL for any time over our past 20 years now, you have heard the name Jennie Couture.  Jennie was our Director of Practice and Support Services who retired in 2022 after a 40 year career dedicated to special education, inclusion, and behavioral support. To honor Jennie and her love for inclusion, the Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning began the J...

Send us Fan Mail DECAL’s Inclusive Early Learning Week will be celebrated the week of February 12-16, 2024. The mission of IELW is to promote inclusive practices within early learning environments across Georgia. This year we are also celebrating the Inclusion and Behavior Support Program’s 10-year anniversary at DECAL. Joining us to share more about inclusion and IELW, are Peggy Sutton, Inclusion...

Send us Fan Mail Since Fall of 2019, DECAL has had a group of volunteers working in their communities to share information with families about the resources available in our state. Our DECAL Family Peer Ambassadors are fathers, mothers, grandparents, foster parents, and other kinship caregivers of young children. They serve as leaders in their community, providing families of young children with i...

Send us Fan Mail Since 2016, DECAL has offered paid internships to students currently enrolled in a Georgia college, university, or law school with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. We took a break during the pandemic years of 2020 through 2022, but last year the interns returned. Joining us this week to talk about their experiences so far are two of our communications and government relatio...

Send us Fan Mail The 2024 Session of the Georgia General Assembly opened recently with everything you might expect from the Wild Hog Supper to Governor Kemp’s State of the State Address. But what can we expect for DECAL and early childhood care and education in Georgia this session? Joining us to talk about the Georgia General Assembly, Governor Kemp’s State of the State address, and other topics...

Send us Fan Mail On this week's episode, Commissioner Jacobs flips the script on Host Reg Griffin and asks him the questions.  It's a chance to learn more about our Chief Communications Officer and the DECAL Communications Team.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind…unless you’re talking about this episode of DECAL Download where we count down the top episodes of 2023 in this look back on our top stories of the year.  As in past years, episodes about COVID money continue to be among the most popular….but also new initiatives like Community Transformation Grants and the Thriving Child...

Send us Fan Mail Earlier this year, DECAL awarded new EXPAND Grants to seven child care providers and six nonprofit and government organizations.  Supported by research and analysis showing that the availability of high-quality child care and early education plays a key role in Georgia’s workforce development and economic growth, DECAL created the EXPAND Grants with the growing need for childcare...

Send us Fan Mail In May, 2019, Dennis Brice joined DECAL as our Chief Information Officer, coming to us from McKesson where he served as Vice President of Human Capitol Management and Corporate Applications.  About nine months later, COVID became our new reality and, like the rest of the world, DECAL had to shift to more online offerings to keep the agency moving forward.  On this episode we check...

Send us Fan Mail It's our annual Holiday Episode as we unwrap stories, explore traditions, and embrace the magic that makes this time of year truly extraordinary.  As usual, we are joined by members of the DECAL team to discuss great gift ideas for children birth to five, some healthy recipe ideas, and holiday traditions from the DECAL team.  Joining us on this episode is Pre-K Program Specia...

Send us Fan Mail Early care and education professionals in Georgia have a true partner in Georgia Public Broadcasting.  GPB’s education division provides FREE digital media and content for Georgia educators and students, starting with preschool and Pre-K, and going up through middle and high school. They are developing some innovative and groundbreaking programs with app and web-based learning for...

Send us Fan Mail This week’s podcast is a little unusual.  Normally we might talk with one, two, or three guests.  Today we have around 700 special guests.  We are at the DECAL 2023 All Staff Meeting at the Cobb Galleria Centre. It is our first in-person All Staff Meeting since 2019 before the pandemic. Come join us!  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Some big changes in store for Georgia’s CAPS Program beginning November 15.  The program that assists low-income families with the cost of child care will now administer the provider management function of the CAPS Program…work previously performed by our contractor, Maximus.  We’re making these changes to provide more streamlined services and to increase service levels for the ch...

Send us Fan Mail It’s been called an epidemic but also Georgia’s most solvable problem. We’re talking about the fact that according to the Georgia Department of Education, only about a third of most children in Georgia are reading on grade level by the third grade. That has ramifications on the future as experts say it won’t support the workforce and Georgia’s growing economy. Joining us to talk a...

Send us Fan Mail Last month, two Georgia Pre-K teachers had surprise visits from Commissioner Jacobs, CALi, and other special guests when it was announced that they are our new Georgia’s Pre-K Program Teachers of the Year for 2023-2024. The public-school winner is Charlotte Richards from Chattahoochee County Pre-K in Cussetta and the private child care center winner is Merodie Brown from New Odyss...

Send us Fan Mail When you think about child care in Georgia, you probably picture infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and Pre-K students.  But a large number of families rely on child care for their school-age children attending elementary and even middle school. In these cases, child care providers offer homework help, tutors, STEAM activities, health & fitness, character development, crafts, an...

Send us Fan Mail This month, DECAL is offering child care tuition assistance for early educators in Georgia to help the child care industry recruit and retain professional staff. Using funds from ARPA, this program will support the cost of child care for children of individuals working at 30 licensed child care programs in Georgia. Joining us to talk about tuition assistance for early educators is...

Send us Fan Mail With the fall comes college football, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course Open Enrollment here at DECAL and with the State of Georgia. Open Enrollment begins October 16, 2023, and ends November 4, 2023,  at 12:59 a.m. ET for active eligible employees and COBRA beneficiaries. Open Enrollment is a time to review, enroll, make changes to your Flexible Benefits plan options, including...

Send us Fan Mail There are over 4,400 licensed child care programs in Georgia….that’s child care learning centers and family child care learning homes. The vast majority are in good standing with DECAL, meeting our rules and regulations for health and safety. But what should you do if you have concerns about your child care program? Joining us to talk about reporting concerns with your child care...

Send us Fan Mail This year DECAL and Voices for Georgia’s Children are celebrating the 13th Annual Georgia’s Pre-K Week, October 2-6, 2023…our 31st year offering Pre-K to students and families here in Georgia.  Joining us to talk about Georgia Pre-K Week is Caitlin Dooley, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children, and State Representative Teri Anulewicz (District 47-Smyrna).  Support th...

Send us Fan Mail Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs responds to questions about some of the current issues now facing the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail October is National Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month…an innovative way to build children’s relationship with food and the local food system through hands-on food education and gardening experiences, interactive and adventurous taste testing, and inclusion of local items into meals and snacks. DECAL and our Nutrition Team fully support the program. It’s a great way...

Send us Fan Mail Here at DECAL, we believe that a stable early care and education industry made up of thriving child care businesses is important to the state’s economic growth and to preparing future generations of young learners for academic success. A new program called the Thriving Child Care Business Academy is designed to help owners and administrators of early learning programs learn best b...

Send us Fan Mail It is back to school time in Georgia and when you think about a child’s success in school, you may focus on cognitive skills of learning and understanding…but research shows that social, emotional, and behavioral competence is equally important. Here at DECAL, we have a special helpline designed to assist you…child care teachers, parents, and caregivers…in developing social emotio...