GAYC

On this GAYC Policy Page you can find out about current issues, policy initiatives including the GAYC Women's Voices Project, links to take action, enter your story about your search to find quality affordable care and register to receive GAYC policy alerts.

GAYC Women’sVoices for Child Care Project

Interested in quality, accessibility and affordability issues in early care and learning? So is GAYC. Find out more about this project generously funded by the Atlanta Women’s Foundation and how to get involved. Download the Georgia Women's Voices Call to Action flyer and the Women's Voices for Child Care Brochure below.

View Our GAYC Women's Voices Project Photo Journal

(Click the Link Below)

http://bit.ly/GAYC-WVCCP

Current Issues and Events

**Congrats to Georgia for previously receiving $400 million through the Race to the Top federal competition. Now the application is due for the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant**

According to the Department of Education, the Race to the Top is the Department's $4.35 billion effort to dramatically re-shape America's educational system to better engage and prepare students for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace. During the current phase applications were due October 19, 2011 for the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant. As the lead agency Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning submitred a proposal for $70 million. A number of stakeholders, including GAYC, served on workgroups to provide input.

Georgia Pre-Kindergarten Saves Taxpayers Millions and Needs to be Maintained

March 1, 2011

A new report update released by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) finds that the Georgia lottery-supported Pre-Kindergarten program (Pre-K) stands out as the state’s most effective, efficient program. Georgia Pre-K is creating educational gains that are currently saving substantial tax expenditures without spending tax dollars.

Update -The Promise of Georgia Pre-K examines the short- and long-term economic impact Georgia Pre-K has had on the state’s education budget and updates the 2008 SEF report, Time to Lead Again: The Promise of Georgia Pre-K.

The Update finds that Georgia Pre-K has been successful during the last decade in preparing over half of Georgia’s children for kindergarten, reducing the number of students who repeat the same K-12 grade, cutting the dropout rate, and lowering special education placements.

The new SEF report also finds:

Georgia Pre-K’s cost-savings to the K-12 education budget were $35.6 million in 2010 alone and will be an estimated $212.9 million during the next six years if the program is maintained in its current form.
Benefits to private citizens as well as local, state and federal governments will add up to $5.12 for every $1 spent in the long term if the state expands high-quality Pre-K to all Georgia children who need it.

The SEF report concludes that Georgia Pre-K is unique. No other state program in Georgia can match it in educational impact and government savings.

Resource - New Brookings and NIEER Compendium on Investing in Early Childhood

The compendium focuses on new directions in federal policy surrounding Head Start, Early Head Start, Coordination and Home Visiting.

http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2010/1013_investing_in_young_children_haskins.aspx

GAYC Signs on to 2011FY Federal Fuding Request

GAYC signed on to a federal funding request urging Congress to ensure that the final appropriations for FY 2011 include a $1 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a $990 million increase for Head Start and Early Start, and $300 million to support the Early Learning Challenge Fund.

GEEARS

On October 5, 2010 GAYC and other state, business and government leaders participated in the inagural summitt "Gear Up for Georgia's Children." The Georgia Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) was created to promote school readiness birth through age five. Read more about GEEARS from the download below.

Step Up for Kids Day

On October 4, 2010 GAYC co-sponsored Voices for Georgia's Children Step up for Kids Day. To learm more about the effort, download Step Up document below.

CAPS Update- No More Children on Georgia’s CAPS Waiting Lists - But What Happens When ARRA Funding Ends?

In April of 2009, the Birth to Five Coalition reported that 4,000 to 7,300 children were on the waiting lists for child care assistance and only two states had waiting lists longer than GA. A year later in April 2010, William Carter, Project Administrator from the Office of Family Independence/Child Care Unit reported that the CAPS program has “no waiting list for the past two months.” Speak up to make sure that as ARRA funds end in 2011 families remain supported by CAPS.

To gain more information current eligibility requirements & applying to the CAPS program please visit http://dfcs.dhr.georgia.gov/caps

BFTS Repsonse to FPG Study

On March 26, 2010, BFTS relased a study by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, based at the University of North Carolina, evaluating the quality of the state’s early childhood programs.

The study revealed that the majority of infant and toddler classrooms studied in Georgia offer low-quality care. The preschool classrooms rated somewhat better, and the Georgia Pre-K program was found to provide “medium” quality care and education.Executive Summaries and BFTS Response are available for download at bottom of this page. View the full report on http://decal.ga.gov/BftS/ResearchStudyOfQuality.aspx

GAYC's Response to the FPG Study can also be downloaded below.

Macon Telegraph News article on FPG Study: http://www.macon.com/2010/04/04/1082357/independent-study-faults-georgia.html#ixzz0kE8FMZ3g

Subsidies

Georgia had the third largest waiting list in the nation for families in need of child care assistance. The influx of ARRA funds allowed Georgia to eliminate the waiting list. But since ARRA funding has ended and the 2011 Legislature only provided funding for an additiona 400 slots, it is estimated nearly 10,000 more slots are still needed. Find out more about this critical issue of subsidies and what we can do to continue to improve the situation. Also see Did You Know? flyer available for download below.

Visit our photo essay to view the positive impact of GA's ARRA funding!

(Click link below)

http://www.michaelschwarzphotography.com/scott/

GA Child Care:

http://www.workworld.org/wwwebhelp/ga_child_care.htm

http://media.www.gsusignal.com/media/storage/paper924/news/2006/01/31/CollegeLiving/ChildCare.Subsidies.Help.Single.Mothers.Climb.The.Corporate.Ladder-1761972.shtml

GAYC Policy Initiatives

GAYC is taking an active role in advocacy and public policy. Our 2011 Policy Agenda addresses Pre-K, national accreditation, quality standards, child care subsidies, home visiting, strengthening families, family friend and neighbor care and more. Download below.

Links and Ways to Take Action!

Voices for Georgia's Children

www.georgiavoices.org

To receive newsletters and additional communications regarding Voices for Georgia's Children initiatives click on the link below. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1679/t/8723/signUp.jsp?key=3973

Voices Today...for Georiga's Children. This site provides daily blogs that provide information regarding the lastest news and observations impacting child policy. http://gavoicesblog.wordpress.com/

GAYC also supports the Georgia Birth - 5 Coalition Agenda and priorities. http://www.georgiavoices.org/

NAEYC Public Policy link to Advocacy Tools http://www.naeyc.org/policy/

SECA Public Policy Page http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/policy.php

Worthy Wage Campaign

http://www.ccw.org/policy.html

Economic Impact on Georgia's Child Care http://www.cviog.uga.edu/services/research/childcare/

For more information call GAYC Public Policy Fellow at 404-222-0014 or email gaycpolicy@gayc.xohost.com

Download the GAYC 2011 Policy Agenda at the bottom of this page.

Current funding issues include Pre-K, Home Visiting, and Child care subsidies. Other ongoing policy issues include quality, standards,and accreditation.

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