DECAL Download

From Athens to Valdosta and many places in-between, DECAL has awarded 18 Community Transformation Grants…ranging from $50,000 to $125,000…to community collaboratives serving children birth to eight and their families. We’ve also extended funding to eight grantees who received these grants in 2021. Joining us this week to discuss Community Transformation Grants is Jill OMeara, Manager of Community Partnerships and Projects, and Dr. Bentley Ponder, Deputy Commissioner for Quality Innovations and Partnerships.  

For the third year in a row, DECAL will celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week in Georgia May 1-5, 2023 .  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 establish safe and secure relationships and support healthy social and emotional development. Joining us to talk about Children’s Mental Health Week on the podcast today from DECAL’s Pre-K and Instructional Support Division, we have Laura Lucas, our Director of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health; Lori Ballew, Infant Toddler Specialist; Perri Walden, Pre-K Specialist; and Esther Duggan, Inclusion and Behavior Support Specialist. 

Starting March 20, our Child Care Services Division began offering Health and Safety Grants to open and operating, licensed child care centers and family child care learning homes in Georgia to purchase equipment and materials that will help support compliance  with health and safety regulations. There’s a total of $80 million from the American Rescue Act, with programs receiving from $5,000 to $40,000 based on capacity. Joining us to talk about Health and Safety Grants from DECAL is Jennifer Bridgeman, CCS Director of Process and Policy Initiatives, and Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner of Child Care Services.  

Important news this week for any Georgia child care program that serves school-age children or has served school-age children in the past year. You may remember receiving an e-mail about DECAL’s School-Age Grants, financial support based on your program’s licensed capacity. Joining us to talk about School-Age Grants is Michelle Garris, School Age and Youth Programs Specialist; Brittany Sams, CCS Director of Administrative Services and Special Operations; and Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner of Child Care Services.  

Last month, the Georgia Chamber hosted its third annual Georgia Summit, this year focused entirely on talent development.  The event was held at the Georgia Tech Research Institute and included discussions around talent and workforce development at every stage of the pipeline. Commissioner Jacobs was invited to serve on a panel discussing early childhood education, joined by Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS; Kelli Henderson, HR Vice President with AFLAC Total Rewards; and Daniela Perry, Vice President of the Georgia Chamber Foundation.

Sheryl Young-Wilhite has served as a Senior Human Resources Director here at DECAL responsible for recruitment, employee relations, and training. You might remember recently hearing from Robin Stevens here on the podcast as she planned for retirement, beginning March 1, after being our first Human Resources Director and serving 11 years. Also March 1, Sheryl became our new Human Resources Director. Today we learn more about her and finding a career at DECAL and state government.

Meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia’s children and their families is a big responsibility for one state agency…that’s why we appreciate so much the early childhood advocates we work with on a daily basis.  One of those advocates is Quality Care for Children. They have been operating since 1979 with offices in Atlanta, Athens, and Cartersville…a team of over 100 people and a budget of $15 million.  Joining us to talk about the work of Quality Care for Children is Ellyn Cochran, the new president and CEO.  

Meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia’s children and their families is a big responsibility for one state agency…that’s why we appreciate so much the early childhood advocates we work with on a daily basis.  One of those advocates that helps us enhance early care and education for children and their families is Voices for Georgia’s Children, a nonprofit child policy and advocacy organization advancing laws, policies, and actions that improve the lives of Georgia’s children. Today we’re talking with the new Voices Executive Director Dr. Caitlin McMunn Dooley. 

It all started with 750 four year olds in 1992 under then Governor Zell Miller.  Now, 30 years later, it serves over 70,000 students across the state under Governor Brian Kemp.  It’s Georgia’s Pre-K Program, celebrating a milestone birthday this year and laying a solid foundation for academic excellence and future success in the lives of nearly 2-million children. Joining us to talk about their experience with Georgia’s Pre-K Program and the HOPE scholarship are Pam Stevens, Deputy Commissioner of Child Care Services, Professional Learning Specialist Vicki Watts, and Amy Browder, Pre-K Regional Manager. 

Since 2021, DECAL has paid out three installments of POWER payments (Providing Our Workforce Essential Recognition) to the tune of close to $115-million from the American Rescue Plan Act. That’s 115,000 individual payments of $1,000 to early learning professionals here in Georgia.  Now we are repurposing POWER payments and making some changes to DECAL Scholars to increase access to degrees and credentials for those working in child care.  Joining us to talk about POWER and DECAL Scholars is Abby Mozo, Professional Learning Operations Analyst here at DECAL, and Melissa Ross from Care Solutions.  

If things had gone according to plan, our Human Resources Director Robin Stevens would have graduated from law school at the University of Georgia in the late seventies. But plans often change, as they did for Robin, when instead she chose the relatively new field of Human Resources. Robin became DECAL’s first HR director in February, 2012, and now she’s retiring this spring. 

There are many ways to reach us here at DECAL.  You can go to our website at decal.ga.gov, you can e-mail us, or more than likely you still pick up the phone and call us on the telephone using 404-656-5957 or 1-888-442-7735. The voice you hear on the other side of the phone is very important to you…and to us. Joining us to talk about customer service here at DECAL is Antonia Mack, Administrative Assistant in the Applicant Services Unit with Child Care Services, Tommeshia Sims is a receptionist at CAPS, Tammy Clark is our Agency Receptionist and Information Specialist, and Quandra Obi is Special Assistant to Commissioner Jacobs.  

This year, Georgia’s Pre-K Program celebrates its 30th birthday. Pre-K in Georgia began in 1992 as a pilot program serving 750 at-risk four year olds at 20 locations. Because of the success of the Georgia Lottery, in 1995 the Pre-K program was opened to all four year old children regardless of family income. The program has grown every year since its inception, today serving more than 73,000 students in over 3,700 classrooms across the state. But how do child care providers apply to offer Georgia’s Pre-K Program in their facilities?  Joining us to talk about becoming a Georgia’s Pre-K Program provider is Jackie Shivers, Director of Pre-K quality Support, and Meghan McNail, Summer Transition Program and Outreach Manager.

Research tells us that, regardless of their abilities, children in high-quality child care programs are better prepared to enter school and more likely to develop healthy social and emotional skills.  When child care providers offer inclusive child care, they’re supporting not only children with disabilities but also their parents who can work, go back to school, or just take a break.  That’s why every year in February we celebrate Inclusive Early Learning Week here at DECAL. Here to talk about the importance of inclusion in early child care and Inclusive Early Learning week is Inclusion and Behavior Support Specialist Kelly Wilson; Leah Brockington is a Family Peer Ambassador who has a child with autism enrolled in an Inclusive early learning program; and Tierra Faulcon is one of our 2022-2023 Early Childhood Teachers of the Year.  

The Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS) for Early Childhood Educators is an innovative resource developed specifically for early care and education professionals.  On GaPDS you make a profile that tracks your job history, diplomas, and certificates…along with conveniently searching and registering both you and your staff for training. Georgia Training Approval is under Workforce Supports in Professional Learning.  On a daily basis, they work with state approved trainers or organizations that provide training for child care professionals. Joining us this week are Janet Herrera and Miranda Murphy, Training Approval Specialists with Georgia Training Approval.  

The 157th session of the Georgia General Assembly is now underway. For the first time this century, the legislature begins with a new Lieutenant Governor on the Senate side and a new Speaker of the House.  But what role does an agency like DECAL play in the process? Joining us to talk about the 157th meeting of the Georgia General Assembly is Polly McKinney, Advocacy Director with Voices for Georgia’s Children; Liz Young, Director of Government Relations here at DECAL; and Rian Ringsrud, Deputy Commissioner for Finance and Administration.  

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) recently held its annual Media Symposium where it released its 19th edition of the Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2023.  Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs was part of a panel discussing the future of education in Georgia.  She spoke along with Commissioner Greg Dozier from the Technical College System of Georgia, Chancellor Sonny Perdue from the University System of Georgia, and State School Superintendent Richard Woods from the Georgia Department of Education. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Dana Rickman, President of the Georgia Partnership.  

Our Child Care Services Division has been hard at work making your search for child care in Georgia more family friendly. If you have ever searched for child care on qualityrated.org or decal.ga.gov, you know there is a lot of information there on every licensed child care program in the state, but sometimes that information can be technical at best with regulatory language not everyone understands. Joining us to talk about these improvements is Dana Morrison, Child Care Services Director of Field Operations, and April Rogers, CCS Director of Enforcement Operations. 

As 2022 draws to a close, this episode takes a look back at our most popular episodes of DECAL Download, based on the total number of downloads, added together with your likes and comments across social media. With all that data, we determined our top ten podcast episodes for 2022, and to find your way to the top of the list, just follow the money.  

On this episode of DECAL Download, light up your tree, grab some eggnog, and hang up the mistletoe.  It’s our annual holiday special featuring members of the DECAL team, gift ideas for the birth to five year old on your list, and some helpful ways to eat healthy during the holidays. Joining us on this holiday episode is Quandra Obi, Special Assistant to Commissioner Jacobs; Savannah Ennis, Infant Toddler Specialist in Lowndes County; and Diana Myers, Nutrition and Physical Activity Supervisor from our DECAL Nutrition Team.