While many private-sector jobs have fully rebounded from problems presented by COVID-19, this has not been the case for the early childhood workforce in America which has actually shrunk by close to ten-percent from what it was in February, 2020. To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the early childhood workforce, our partners at GEEARS…Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students…have been conducting focus groups all this year with child care learning centers, family child care learning homes, Head Start programs, and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. Joining us to talk about supporting the early childhood workforce is Callan Wells, Senior Health Policy Manager at GEEARS; Donnis Pace is President of the Georgia Head Start Association and Director of Tallatoona Community Action Partnership….operating a Head Start and Georgia’s Pre-K Program in Cartersville and surrounding areas, and Allison Setterlind is Georgia’s Head Start Collaboration Director here at DECAL.
Full report available here: https://geears.org/research/publications/
The Head Start Heals Campaign helps programs apply a trauma-informed approach that builds the protective factors necessary for resiliency and healing. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/mental-health/article/head-start-heals-campaign
The Georgia Head Start Association (GHSA) is a statewide non-profit organization with the mission to provide education, leadership and advocacy to support the agencies providing Head Start services, and the communities they serve. https://georgiaheadstart.org/