DECAL Download Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

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 Elida Lopez. From DECAL is Allison Setterlind, Georgia Head Start Collaboration Director, and Laura Wagner, Exe...

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 the luncheon and hear portions of the program is Laura Wagner, Executive Director of the Georgia Foundatio...

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 Marketing and Outreach Manager in our Nutrition Division, and Devon Porter is Summer Transition Program ...

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 and Instructional Supports, and Brian Griffin, Manager over the new GAPREK online system.Support the Show.

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 University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Governm...

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 social and emotional development. Joining us to talk about Children’s Mental Health Week is our own, Laura Lucas, In...