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When you think about child care outside the home, you might think about infants, toddlers, or Pre-K students…but for many families it also includes after-school care for children ages five and up.  In Georgia, over 2,700 licensed child care programs offer after-school care, and over 45-percent of our CAPS scholarships help pay for it. Here to talk about school-age programs in Georgia is Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner of Child Care Services; Melissa Davis, Director for CCS Quality Operations, and Michelle Garris, School Age Specialist for DECAL.

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Each year, Bright from the Start administers the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, created to ensure that children 18 and under can continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations, when they don’t have access to lunch or breakfast at school.  Here to talk about this effort in Georgia is Cindy Kicklighter, Nutrition Marketing and Outreach Manager, and Phyllis Oliver, Nutrition Director with the Chattooga County Schools.

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Back in the Spring, we told you about the Path from Pre-K to College Sweepstakes where four students in Georgia's Pre-K Program received scholarships of $1,529 from Path2College 529 Plan.  This summer, four more children will have a chance at one of those scholarships in the We Care Child Care Sweepstakes.  Here to talk about the sweepstakes is Mitch Seabaugh, Executive Director of the Path2College 529 Plan. 

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School’s out for summer….but beware the Summer Brain Drain!  That’s when many children experience learning loss because they’re not engaged in educational activities during the summer. Joining us to talk about DIY Summer School is Faith Duncan, Field Operations Director for Georgia’s Pre-K Program, and Demetria Joyce, Instructional Learning Manager.

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For most kids, summer means school’s out…but for some younger high-risk children in Georgia, it’s a critical time for them to prepare to enter Georgia’s Pre-K Program or Kindergarten in the fall.  Our Summer Transition Program is currently underway and continues through July 12.  Our guests are Meghan McNail, Summer Transition and Outreach Manager, and Julie Barnett with Kindercare, a childcare provider offering the program in multiple locations.  

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In 2011, Atlanta-based CDC joined with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and the Heath Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau to launch “Learn the Signs. Act Early," an initiative to address skyrocketing rates of autism among American children.  Jennie Couture, DECAL's Director of Practice and Support Services, serves as Georgia's ambassador for this nationwide program.  We talk with Jennie about the importance of early intervention. 

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Our 2016 Economic Impact Study of the Early Care and Education Industry in Georgia showed that early care and education provides more than 67,000 industry jobs statewide.  The DECAL Scholars program promotes high-quality, stable learning environments for Georgia’s children, by supporting the early care and education professionals who work with them day after day.  DECAL administers these programs to encourage, support and reward Georgia’s early care and education workforce.  Here to talk more about DECAL Scholars is Charlotte Pelz, Program Director for DECAL Scholars.  

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Child care providers sharing ideas, success stories, and lessons learned during their experience in our Quality Rated Program.  That’s the idea behind the Quality Rated Peer Support Network, established in 2015 as an additional support to providers. We'll talk with Rachael Lee, Quality Rated Peer Support Network Specialist, and Michelle Smith-Lank, owner and director of the Kid’s World Learning Center, a three-star Quality Rated program in Statesboro.

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For the sixth consecutive year, DECAL and several other state agencies are calling for families and caregivers of children to have a heightened awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.  From our Child Care Services Division, we will talk with Rhonda Parker and Dana Morrison, both Directors of Field Operations, about the Look Again campaign. 

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We all know how difficult it is to live healthy and eat healthy, especially with demanding schedules at the office and at home.  But here at DECAL, we have a group of health-minded employees who work hard to keep it top of mind.  DECAL Business Analyst Barbara Sanders, part of our IT division, chairs the Wellness Committee and joins us to talk about the mission of the group. 

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