ABOUT THE COALITION

The Birth to Five Coalition is a collaborative effort of organizations and individuals working to improve public policy associated with early care and learning.  Find all the information you need about the group's activities and how you and your organization can get behind this initiative.

 
CURRENT ISSUES

DECAL Quality Study on Child Care and PreK

Parents and child advocates have new information for improving the care and learning of Georgia children under five years old.

On March 26, Bright from the Start, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, released two studies on the quality of child care and Georgia Pre-K. Among the results of the study of licensed child care centers was the disappointing news that two-thirds of centers are delivering “poor” quality child care to infants and toddlers and only five percent are rated “high” in quality.

Pre-K programs outside of lottery funded programs were 35% “poor” quality and 60% “medium.”  PreK programs funded by the Georgia Lottery fared better with most centers being rated “medium” quality.  Classrooms generally were rated higher for emotional support and classroom environment than for instructional support.

To read the executive summaries and full reports, visit DECAL’s website at http://www.decal.ga.gov/BftS/ResearchStudyOfQuality.aspx.

Planning for Healthy Babies Waiver

Please call the members of the Appropriations Committees to urge support for the Planning for Healthy Babies Waiver and for the necessary state match.

Talking points are available here .  
http://www.georgiavoices.org/storage/voices/documents/planning_for_healthy_babies_fact%20sheet.pdf

Please share the fact sheet with your networks as well as your legislators.

Support Effective and Available Pre-K

Please call your legislators to urge that they provide additional lottery funding for Pre-K for additional slots and preserve the vital Resource Coordinator program.

You can access a fact sheet on this issue here .