Send us a Text Message. Open Records play a crucial role in promoting an open government by providing citizens with the tools to engage with and understand the workings of their government. The concept of Open Records in grounded in the principles of transparency and accountability, ensuring that the public can obtain information about government o…

Send us a Text Message. Last year, DECAL took over the provider management function of the CAPS Program, something previously handled by our contractor, Maximus. We implemented these changes to offer more streamlined and effective services to child care providers who play a crucial role in supporting children and families. A major component of offe…

Send us a Text Message. 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.…

Send us a Text Message. In May, Governor Brian Kemp signed the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget at a signing ceremony in the North Wing of the State Capitol. It’s a $36-billion budget that includes raises for state employees and public school teachers as well as an influx of $97-million for Georgia’s Pre-K Program. Joining us to talk about the FY2025 Budget…

Send us a Text Message. With over 4,300 licensed child care programs in Georgia, our Child Care Services Division is dedicated to ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment through licensing, monitoring, and professional development. We do it all to support the growth and development of Georgia’s young children. Today we're chatting with Depu…

Send us a Text Message. When Author, Super Bowl Champion, and Valdosta Native Malcolm Mitchell sat down to write his second book for Georgia’s Pre-K Program, he set the story at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion where the First Couple welcomed students on a field trip to “The People’s House.” On May 8, thanks to Malcolm, First Lady Marty Kemp and DECA…

Send us a Text Message. A career in state government offers employees an engaging and diverse work environment that allows them to fulfill personal and professional ambitions while taking pride in providing services that contribute to Georgia’s success. The work of a state employee impacts economic development, environmental quality, education, hou…

Send us a Text Message. For the eleventh consecutive year, DECAL is reminding families and caregivers of children to increase their awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. Joining us to talk about preventing vehicular heatstroke is Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety; Robert Hydrick, Communi…

Send us a Text Message. Our Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning recently received the Heart of Community Award from CareSource, a nationally recognized, nonprofit managed care organization serving over 2 million members across five states including Georgia. Joining us to talk about the award from CareSource is Senior Manager for Populati…

Send us a Text Message. Friday, April 19, was a big day for DECAL, the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning, and all of our educators of the year being honored this year. The Georgia Lottery and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon honoring our three Early Childhood Educators of the Year and our two Georgia’s Pre-K Prog…

Send us a Text Message. It might be May but the Summer of 2024 is just around the corner…starts June 20 according to the calendar, but really kicks in sooner than that here in Georgia. The question is….are you ready? Joining us to talk about Summer Plans in Georgia is Sonja Steptoe, Communications and Outreach Manager in our Quality Innovations and…

Send us a Text Message. This fall will be the 32nd year of Georgia’s Pre-K Program which now serves nearly 72,000 students statewide. This year we are making significant improvements to PANDA, the Pre-K Application and Database Access system for providers. Joining us today to talk about Georgia’s Pre-K Program and the online improvements is Susan A…

Send us a Text Message. In March, DECAL released the results of our most recent Economic Impact Study, which evaluates the importance of the early care and education industry to the state’s economy. This is the third Economic Impact Study we have commissioned, following the first in 2008 and the second in 2016. Like previous studies, this report is…

Send us a Text Message. DECAL will celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week in Georgia May 6-10, 2024, as we have done for the last four years in the first full week of May. Similar to Georgia’s Pre-K Week, and Inclusive Early Learning Week, this special week in May reminds us that the early years in a child’s life provide a key opportunity to estab…

Send us a Text Message. Despite advancements in technology and all of the screen time each of us total up in a month, the public library continues to be a popular place for individuals and families here in Georgia. There are 410 public libraries across the state…and that library card holds more value than ever. With National Library Week coming up …

Send us a Text Message. In December, DECAL and the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning announced our three winners for Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year. Joining us today is Laura Wagner, Executive Director for the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning; Miranda Murphy is our Practice a…

Send us a Text Message. Today they may be learning their colors, shapes, and letters…but before you know it, those four-year-olds in Georgia’s Pre-K Program will be all grown up and headed to technical school or college. That’s why each year we join Path2College 529 Plan and the Georgia Student Finance Commission for our Pre-K to College Sweepstake…

Send us a Text Message. During the COVID pandemic, DECAL offered POWER payments to all eligible early learning professionals and staff here in Georgia. POWER stood for Providing our workforce essential recognition and at $1,000 per person in three rounds totaled over $118 million in supplemental payments from the American Rescue Plan. Today POWER h…

Send us a Text Message. DECAL's Thriving Child Care Business Academy opened its virtual doors in September 2023. The Academy offers a wide selection of free online trainings and educational resources to help owners and administrators of child care programs learn the best management practices that will help their businesses thrive. Joining us to tal…

Send us a Text Message. An Early Childhood Care and Education Student at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro has been named as the school’s 2024 GOAL Student. Ashley Ford is a mother of two daughters and a child care teacher at Kids World Learning Center in Statesboro. Ashley joins us for this week's podcast, along with Sarah Beverley, who is …

Send us a Text Message. This summer, kids throughout Georgia will continue to have access to free nutritious meals and snacks through Happy Helpings, Georgia’s Summer Food Service Program. Joining us today to tell us more about Happy Helpings are Director of Nutrition Services Tamika Boone, Marketing and Outreach Manager Cindy Kicklighter, and spec…

Send us a Text Message. If you have been around DECAL for any time over our past 20 years now, you have heard the name Jennie Couture. Jennie was our Director of Practice and Support Services who retired in 2022 after a 40 year career dedicated to special education, inclusion, and behavioral support. To honor Jennie and her love for inclusion, the …

Send us a Text Message. DECAL’s Inclusive Early Learning Week will be celebrated the week of February 12-16, 2024. The mission of IELW is to promote inclusive practices within early learning environments across Georgia. This year we are also celebrating the Inclusion and Behavior Support Program’s 10-year anniversary at DECAL. Joining us to share m…

Send us a Text Message. Since Fall of 2019, DECAL has had a group of volunteers working in their communities to share information with families about the resources available in our state. Our DECAL Family Peer Ambassadors are fathers, mothers, grandparents, foster parents, and other kinship caregivers of young children. They serve as leaders in the…

Send us a Text Message. Since 2016, DECAL has offered paid internships to students currently enrolled in a Georgia college, university, or law school with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. We took a break during the pandemic years of 2020 through 2022, but last year the interns returned. Joining us this week to talk about their experiences so…

Send us a Text Message. The 2024 Session of the Georgia General Assembly opened recently with everything you might expect from the Wild Hog Supper to Governor Kemp’s State of the State Address. But what can we expect for DECAL and early childhood care and education in Georgia this session? Joining us to talk about the Georgia General Assembly, Gove…

Send us a Text Message. 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. Support the Show.By Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Send us a Text Message. 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 lik…

Send us a Text Message. 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 create…

Send us a Text Message. 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 k…

Send us a Text Message. 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. …

Send us a Text Message. 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 gro…

Send us a Text Message. 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! Support the Show.…

Send us a Text Message. 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 streaml…

Send us a Text Message. 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 work…

Send us a Text Message. 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…

Send us a Text Message. When you think about child care in Georgia, you probably picture infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and Pre-K students. But a large number of families rely on child care for their school-age children attending elementary and even middle school. In these cases, child care providers offer homework help, tutors, STEAM activities,…

Send us a Text Message. This month, DECAL is offering child care tuition assistance for early educators in Georgia to help the child care industry recruit and retain professional staff. Using funds from ARPA, this program will support the cost of child care for children of individuals working at 30 licensed child care programs in Georgia. Joining u…

Send us a Text Message. With the fall comes college football, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course Open Enrollment here at DECAL and with the State of Georgia. Open Enrollment begins October 16, 2023, and ends November 4, 2023, at 12:59 a.m. ET for active eligible employees and COBRA beneficiaries. Open Enrollment is a time to review, enroll, make c…

Send us a Text Message. There are over 4,400 licensed child care programs in Georgia….that’s child care learning centers and family child care learning homes. The vast majority are in good standing with DECAL, meeting our rules and regulations for health and safety. But what should you do if you have concerns about your child care program? Joining …

Send us a Text Message. This year DECAL and Voices for Georgia’s Children are celebrating the 13th Annual Georgia’s Pre-K Week, October 2-6, 2023…our 31st year offering Pre-K to students and families here in Georgia. Joining us to talk about Georgia Pre-K Week is Caitlin Dooley, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children, and State Represe…

Send us a Text Message. Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs responds to questions about some of the current issues now facing the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Support the Show.By Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Send us a Text Message. October is National Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month…an innovative way to build children’s relationship with food and the local food system through hands-on food education and gardening experiences, interactive and adventurous taste testing, and inclusion of local items into meals and snacks. DECAL and our N…

Send us a Text Message. Here at DECAL, we believe that a stable early care and education industry made up of thriving child care businesses is important to the state’s economic growth and to preparing future generations of young learners for academic success. A new program called the Thriving Child Care Business Academy is designed to help owners a…

Send us a Text Message. It is back to school time in Georgia and when you think about a child’s success in school, you may focus on cognitive skills of learning and understanding…but research shows that social, emotional, and behavioral competence is equally important. Here at DECAL, we have a special helpline designed to assist you…child care teac…

Send us a Text Message. For the first time ever, tens of thousands of young children across Georgia are preparing to enter Georgia’s Pre-K Program. We’re expecting 70,000 and more this school year. Several areas of the state started school in late July, but the majority are starting now. Joining us to talk about starting school are Megan McGraw and…

Send us a Text Message. Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs is interviewed by John Clark from the Georgia News Network for their weekly public affairs program Georgia Focus. Support the Show.By Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Send us a Text Message. 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 …

Send us a Text Message. 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, re…

Send us a Text Message. 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. Joini…