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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.  

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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 Care Business Academy. Since we started this podcast in September 2018, we have had close to 77-thousand downloads. So just like Ryan Seacrest or Casey Casem, we are counting down the Top Ten episodes of DECAL Download from 2023.

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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 outside traditional hours in mind. Here to talk about the new EXPAND grants is Jill Taylor, Director of Community Partnerships and 2Gen Outreach; Shayna Funke, Director of Research Partnerships and Business Supports; and Dr. Bentley Ponder, Deputy Commissioner for Quality Innovations and Partnerships.

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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 in with Dennis on new DECAL projects, the challenges of AI, and why Commissioner Jacobs sometimes thinks we should go back to "memos and landlines."

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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 Specialist Alice Lasseter, Nutrition and Physical Activity Supervisor Diana Myers, and a special guest from the North Pole! Georgia's Pre-K Program Specialist Megan OBara and CAPS Consultant Latisha Lewis provide holiday music.

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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 children as young as four years old.  Joining us on this week’s podcast is Laura Evans who recently became Vice President of Education for Georgia Public Broadcasting.  

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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! 

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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 child care providers who support CAPS parents and children. Here to explain the changes happening at CAPS is Kay Mayfield, CAPS Provider Relations Director, and Aleshia Golden, CAPS Provider Relations Quality Assurance and Payment Manager.  

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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 about the new Georgia Literacy Council and the work being done right now  is Scott Johnson, chairman of the Georgia Literacy Council, and Dr. Gary Bingham, a member of the council who  also serves as director of the Urban Child Study Center and a professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University. 

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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 Odyssey for Children in Hoschton.  They join us for this week's episode of DECAL Download.

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