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Each year, DECAL’s Child Care Services consultants conduct more than 14,500 visits to more than 4,500 licensed child care programs in Georgia to ensure they are caring for children in safe, healthy, and nurturing environments. But when COVID-19 hit Georgia in March and the number of open child care programs dropped to 30-percent the scope of those visits changed. Here to talk about Virtual Visits in Georgia Child Care Programs is Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner for Child Care Services, and Directors of CCS Field Operations Dana Morrison and Rhonda Parker.

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Today, we're excited to share significant changes happening within DECAL’s Community Partnership Team. In a bold move to enhance collaboration and engagement, the team is shifting its outreach strategy from a broad regional approach to a more focused, subregion-specific model. Joining us to discuss our Community Partnership Team is Jill Taylor, Director of Community Partnerships and 2Gen Outreach, and Dajuana Robinson, Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager.

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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 called “Hot Boiled Peanuts” and highlights lots of culinary delights from the Peach state. Hope you're hungry!

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Recently administrators and advocates for early childhood education visited the State Capitol where the House and Senate proclaimed that Georgia’s Pre-K Week will be observed October 6-10, 2025, with legislators visiting classrooms to read to our young learners. Joining us this week on the podcast is Judy Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children, Meghan McNail is Director of Pre-K Instruction and Regional Operations, Liz Young is our Director of Government Relations and Special Projects, plus special audio from our day at the Capitol, proclamations in the House and Senate, and interviews with legislators in the hallways.

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After 26 years of administering Georgia’s Pre-K Program, we all know that students are better prepared for Kindergarten and excel in math, language, and literacy. But how are those same students doing four years later, when they are tested at the end of third grade? DECAL Deputy Commissioners Susan Adams and Dr. Bentley Ponder discuss a recent Pre-K Study that looked at the relationship between participation in Georgia’s Pre-K and the Third-Grade Milestones assessment scores.

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