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Keeping children safe on Georgia roads starts long before the car is in motion. For parents, grandparents, child care providers, and anyone transporting young children, choosing the right car seat or booster seat and using it correctly every time is one of the most important steps we can take to prevent injuries and save lives. Joining us to talk about child passenger safety in Georgia is Tomekia Hudson, CCS Technical Assistance Consultant, Emerson Lundy, Southwest Law Enforcement Liaison with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, and Jenny Harty, longtime advocate for child passenger safety and author of Francie & Fitz Booster Buddies, children’s books promoting child passenger safety. 

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Finding qualified substitute teachers can be one of the biggest challenges for childcare providers. When a teacher is out, programs still need to maintain safe, consistent, high-quality care for children—and that means having access to trained, dependable substitutes when they are needed most. Today on DECAL Download, we’re talking about a new resource designed to help meet that need: the GaPDS Substitute Teacher Registry. Joining us is Dr. Christi Moore, Director of Workforce Supports and Learning, and Dr. Mia Obiwo is our Workforce Policy and Process Administrator.  

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In June 2013 DECAL officially launched the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards, or GELDS, replacing the Georgia Early Learning Standards for children birth to 3 and the Georgia Pre-K Content Standards for four-year-olds.  Now, in 2026, we are updating the GELDS designed to align early childhood standards with current research, including the Science of Reading, while continuing to support the whole child. Joining us to talk more about the GELDS update is Jan Duke, Georgia’s Pre-K Program Instructional Learning Manager and Kristen Arnold, Workforce Development Specialist. 

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Today we’re talking about a major step forward in how Georgia connects education, workforce development, and long-term economic opportunity. Effective July 1, 2026, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement officially became the Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Strategy, or GOEWS. This new office builds on GOSA’s legacy of education accountability, research, and programs like the Governor’s Honors Program for a more coordinated approach to preparing Georgians for the jobs and opportunities of the future. Joining us to talk more about the Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Strategy is Fran Dundore, who was appointed by Governor Kemp as the agency’s first Executive Director. 

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This week we’re focused on the Georgia Public Library Service where a transition in taking place. After more than a decade of service, Julie Walker has retired and Angela Stanley has been appointed to succeed her as State Librarian and Vice Chancellor for Libraries & Archives. On this episode, we talk with them both! 

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This week we’re talking about an exciting new resource from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning: DECAL FAST, which stands for Family Access to Services & Tools. For families looking for high-quality child care or early education, DECAL FAST is designed to make the search easier, faster, and more user-friendly. Joining us to talk about DECAL FAST and how you can use it for your next childcare search is Sushma Sanissetty, Developer; Shravanthi Korada, IT Business Analyst; Sonja Steptoe, Assistant Director of Business Supports & Operations; and Bridget Ratajczak, Child & Family Development Manager. 

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Across Georgia, a new school year is beginning, and that means thousands of four-year-olds are walking into Georgia’s Pre-K classrooms for the very first time. For many children and families, Pre-K is a first school experience, a chance to build confidence and independence, and an important step toward kindergarten and lifelong learning. Joining us to talk more about Georgia’s Pre-K Program and the start of a new school year is Susan Adams, Deputy Commissioner of Georgia’s Pre-K Program and Instructional Supports, Janika Young is Assistant Director of Pre-K Operations, and Maria Moor is Quality Support Specialist. Then we check in with Bethany Whetzel with Georgia's Office of the State Treasurer as the July 31 deadline approaches for this year's We Care Child Care Sweepstakes. 

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The early years of birth to five are a time of rapid growth in a child’s body, brain, and social-emotional development, and they can shape lifelong health and learning. Today, we’ll explore what parents, caregivers, and early childhood professionals should know about preventive care, nutrition, sleep, safety, developmental milestones, and when to seek support if something doesn’t seem quite right. This is our regular feature Small Wonders, partnering with the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Our special guest is Dr. Nicola Chin, President of Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Dr. Chin is a pediatrician in Atlanta and is affiliated with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. She received her medical degree from Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and has been in practice for more than 20 years. 

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This week our focus is on Georgia’s 2Gen Leadership Academy…a first-of-its-kind, cross-agency program that brings together leaders from state government and nonprofits. Their goal is to help families thrive by supporting both children and the adults who care for them. The academy was developed by the Georgia Children’s Cabinet and facilitated by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Joining us to talk about Georgia’s 2Gen Academy are four recent graduates of the 4th cohort of the program, all from DECAL.  And they are Colette Bolds, CCS Special Investigations Manager; Shayna Funke, Director of Research Partnerships & Business Support; Melinda Knowles, CAPS 2Gen Strategies and Partnerships Project Manager; and Mia Obiwo, Workforce Policy and Process Administrator. 

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This week we’re highlighting an important partnership that helps support the quality of child care in Georgia and strengthens the professionals who provide this care every day: our work with Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, or CCR&Rs. Joining us are Kristin Blevins, Professional Learning Specialist here at DECAL; Dana Driggers is Assistant Director of Operations for Child Care Resource & Referral of Southeast Georgia in Savannah; Cindy Fick is Operations Director for Child Care Resource and Referral of Southwest Georgia in Albany; Ricci Lewis-Johnson is an Early Childhood Specialist with Leap Early Learning Partners in Augusta; and Kristen Groover with Quality Care for Children: Central West in Atlanta. 

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