Stay up-to-date on the latest news about early childhood from GEEARS, our early childhood partners across the nation, and from media outlets.
By: Brookings Institution In a recent statement, President Joe Biden called out the “acute, immediate child care crisis in America.” His American Rescue Plan includes $25 billion earmarked as an emergency stabilization fund for child-care providers. This investment, alongside an additional $15 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program and an expanded tax credit, has […]
By: Mindy Binderman for Saporta Report Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, few workers have been as essential as Georgia’s early education professionals. They have been on the front lines, working tirelessly to teach, love, and care for our youngest learners and allowing their parents to work. These early childhood educators deserve our recognition […]
By: AP News State-funded prekindergarten and child care teachers in Georgia will get $1,000 bonuses alongside K-12 teachers, thanks to a big increase in federal coronavirus aid. Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Amy Jacobs told The Associated Press Wednesday in an exclusive interview that her department would use about $65 million of […]
By: AJC A Republican state legislator reintroduced legislation Wednesday that would offer three weeks of paid parental leave to a quarter-million state employees, including k-12 teachers, for the first time in Georgia history. Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, said his plan largely mirrors a proposal he introduced last spring that cruised through the House on a vote of 164-1, only to stall […]
By: Hechinger Report Kast week, President-elect Joe Biden announced he would seek to expand the child tax credit and make a $40 billion investment in child care as part of a broader Covid relief and recovery package. He invited Americans to imagine how a stronger “caregiving economy” could help enhance our nation’s security, promote family well-being and ensure […]
By DECAL Download Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning hosts a podcast with a variety of early childhood experts from across the state. The latest episodes have focused on early childhood health and wellness, and infant and early childhood mental health. Listen below! Episode 20: “Georgia ECE Health […]
By: Savannah Morning News “We want to send a heartfelt congratulations to Senator-elect Warnock,” said Mindy Binderman, executive director of Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), in a press release on Wednesday morning. “[As] a former board member of GEEARS, Rev. Warnock is a longtime advocate for Georgia’s youngest children, their families, and […]
By: Valdosta Today The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report highlighting Head Start’s effective response in managing the spread of COVID-19. View the report here: https://bit.ly/2JPESgL The study found programs have been successful at implementing CDC-recommended guidance and other mitigation strategies that could serve as a model for the early care […]
By: The New York Times Alice McGraw, 2 years old, was walking with her parents in Lake Tahoe this summer when another family appeared, heading in their direction. The little girl stopped. “Uh-oh,” she said and pointed: “People.” She has learned, her mother said, to keep the proper social distance to avoid risk of infection […]
By: Mindy Binderman via Saporta Report This year has been difficult for everyone, especially our youngest children, their caregivers, and Georgia’s educators. And Thanksgiving, along with so many other holidays and milestone commemorations, looked a lot different in 2020. One thing that this pandemic has taught me, however, is to never miss a chance for […]