When the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation in 2023 focused on improving literacy among students kindergarten to third grade, they called for the appointment of a Statewide Literacy Coach to serve the Georgia Council on Literacy. They ...

DECAL has named its Georgia’s Pre-K Teachers of the Year for the 2024-2025 school year and it was just in time for our 14th annual Georgia’s Pre-K Week. We name a winner from a public school and private school, and this year’s winners are from ...

If you’re looking for financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, child care and more, there is a one-stop shop for community resources near you! It’s called Find Help Georgia, a comprehensive online directory to help strengthen families...

Last month more than 800 DECAL employees gathered at the Cobb Galleria Center for our All Staff Meeting. This event officially celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, as well as the 10th anniversary...

Open Enrollment for the State Health Benefits Plan runs now through November 8. It’s a very important time of the year, as many employees are re-evaluating their health needs and seeking to protect their financial well-being. Joining us to talk...

From Calhoun to Savannah, our Quality Rated and CAPS teams have been holding stakeholder meetings all across Georgia to highlight policy revisions happening with both programs beginning this month. With pandemic relief funding ending, DECAL has...

As the foundation of a child’s educational journey, early childhood education is pivotal, yet the professionals who dedicate their lives to this field often face unique challenges that require our attention.  Recently DECAL’s Workforce Sup...

Today we’re unpacking a critical issue that touches nearly every family in Georgia: the State of Child Care.  Recently our Child Care Services Division completed a comprehensive study on the current state of child care across the state, es...

Voices for Georgia’s Children and DECAL are proud to announce that the 14th annual Georgia Pre-K Week is set to take place from October 7th to 11th, 2024. This event celebrates the 32nd year of Georgia’s Pre-K Program and highlights the importa...

When you think about DECAL, you think about CAPS, Child Care Services, Georgia’s Pre-K Program, Nutrition…but we also hope you think about our support services like SEEDS which stands for Social Emotional Early Development Strategies.  Thi...

This week we’re highlighting early childhood workforce development opportunities in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health space. Joining us is DECAL’s Laura Lucas, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Director, Dr. Bentley Ponder, De...

Since Fall 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 parent...

The third week in September is Care Seat Safety Awareness Week which focuses on the proper use of car safety seats for children. The national campaign urges parents and caregivers to protect their children making sure they secure them in the co...

Licensed Family Child Care Learning Homes and Child Care Learning Centers in Georgia who are two or three-star Quality Rated are eligible for grants aimed at fostering early language and literacy skills of infants and toddlers. The LITTLE grant...

New data from the CDC here in Atlanta show that vaccinations among kindergarteners has declined to its lowest level in decades and an estimated 750,000 young learners entered kindergarten during the COVID-19 pandemic who were not up to date on ...

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 U...

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 b...

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 departme...

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...

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 im...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ca...

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 $...

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 suppor...