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Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs is interviewed by John Clark from the Georgia News Network for their weekly public affairs program Georgia Focus. 

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CAPS is Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Services…a federal program administered by DECAL that helps pay for the cost of child care so parents can work or attend school.  CAPS also helps families find high quality early learning environments and stability in their child care arrangements and connects families with resources to help them become self-sufficient and engage in two-generation strategies that support the whole family. Joining us today with an update on CAPS is Elisabetta Kasfir, Deputy Commissioner for Federal Programs and Arlene Green, a Scholarship Administration Specialist at CAPS.  

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The data says Americans today are working longer and retiring later. Thirty years ago, the average retirement age in the US among men was 62, 59 among women.  By 2021, those numbers had gone up by three years…some blame a lack of savings, some blame reduced social security benefits, and some blame COVID. Whatever the case, retirements here at DECAL always come with mixed emotions. Joining us to talk about retirement is Faith Duncan, Director of Georgia’s Pre-K Program, Judy Carter is a Georgia’s Pre-K Regional Manager. Also joining us is Sabrina Henry, HR Operations Supervisor here at DECAL.

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DECAL’s Nutrition Services Division administers the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Happy Helpings, Georgia’s Summer Food Service Program. These federal nutrition programs, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ensure eligible children and adults have access to nutritious meals and snacks. Joining us this week to talk about Happy Helpings and CACFP is Tamika Boone, Nutrition Services Director, and Cindy Kicklighter, Nutrition Marketing and Outreach Manager.  

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These days finding traditional child care in Georgia Monday through Friday, from 6:00 AM to 6:30 PM, can be challenge enough.  But what about when you need non-traditional child care in the evenings, overnights, or on weekends?  Through extensive engagement with families, child care providers, and other stakeholders, DECAL has learned that many families have child care needs during nontraditional hours that are not currently being met by available child care.  That’s why we are offering our new EXPAND Grants….which stands for Expanding Parents’ Access to Nontraditional Delivery.  Joining us to talk about the new EXPAND Grants is Dr. Bentley Ponder, Deputy Commissioner for Quality Innovations and Partnerships; Jill Taylor is Manager of Community Partnerships and Projects; Valerie Perez is Research Analyst; and Shayna Funke is Lead Policy and Business Operations Analyst.  

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As most people know, the program in Georgia that provides financial assistance with child care is called CAPS, or Childcare and Parent Services, and its administered here at DECAL. We are excited to announce that DECAL will soon begin administering the provider management function of the CAPS Program, work that is currently, and has historically been performed by our contractor, Maximus. Joining us to talk about the new CAPS Provider Relations Unit is Kay Mayfield, CAPS Provider Relations Director at DECAL, and Ann Panzica, CAPS Provider Relations Manager.  

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A graduation ceremony was held recently at the Loudermilk Center in downtown Atlanta for a group of students from state agencies who have spent the last ten months looking at ways Georgia can serve children and families through a two-generation approach.  The 2Gen Leadership Academy is sponsored by the Georgia Children’s Cabinet.  Joining us from DECAL to talk about their experience from the Academy is Rebecca Ellis, Director of Practice and Support Services; Megan Fickes is Early Head Start Partnership Director; and Rob O’Callaghan is Senior Research Analyst in the Quality Initiatives and Partnerships Division.

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School’s out for summer but still so many things happening here at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning….we thought it was a good time for a Chat with Commissioner Jacobs, taking a wide variety of questions from our DECAL team as well as the early childhood care and education workforce and the general public on social media. Let's get started! 

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There’s a new resource in Georgia to assist families in locating the services they need…from financial assistance and food pantries to medical services and child care. Find Help Georgia is a collaboration by DECAL, Technical College System of Georgia, and Prevent Child Abuse Georgia. Here to talk about Find Help Georgia is Amanda Tarpley, CAPS Family Support Director for Operations; Amy Roys is CAPS Director for Development and Partnerships; and Jennifer Stine is Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Georgia. 

www.findhelpga.org 

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For the 12th year, DECAL is offering an intensive academic program for rising Pre-K and rising Kindergarten students called the Summer Transition Program.  The program was created to support students who either did not attend Georgia’s Pre-K Program or Head Start or who need additional help before taking that next step. Joining us to talk about the Summer Transition Program is Meghan McNail, Summer Transition Program and Outreach Manager; Yehymmy Mora is a Transition Coach who works with families during STP at The North Fulton Child Development Center; LaKeisha McClendon is a Rising K teacher at Newton County Head Start; and Deana Snowden is a lead teacher for the Rising Pre-K class at Cornelia Elementary School in Habersham County. 

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