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: The New York Times Suddenly everyone — parents, caregivers, workers, employers, policymakers — is acutely aware of child care’s relationship to American labor markets. The Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, The Washington Post, CNN.com and FoxNews.com have run variations on the headline, “You Can’t Reopen the Economy Without Child Care.” It’s a widespread concern because it’s obviously correct. Millions of Americans have […]
The PAACT Fund for Quality (PAACT FFQ) Stabilization Grant program has deployed $995,500 to 61 child care centers and family child care homes located in the City of Atlanta, supporting more than 4,500 licensed child care slots. Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive (PAACT), a citywide alliance convened by GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, worked with Quality Care for Children to provide targeted support to child […]
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported on proposed across-the-board state budget reductions, including a $61 million spending reduction for the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students issued the following statement in response: “The state should rethink proposed cuts to Georgia’s nationally-recognized Pre-K program that would directly affect children, teachers, and providers across the state. “A cut of $61 million would force DECAL to reduce of Pre-K instructional days […]
By: USA Today Carlos Atkins, 27, used to spend weekdays with his 2-year-old son Malachi, taking walks and reading books, before heading out into the night to power wash sidewalks, pick up trash and remove graffiti in downtown Detroit for a local nonprofit. Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the city and his son’s daycare […]
By: Real Clear Policy As politicians and pundits rightfully praise essential workers during this pandemic, rarely does anyone mention another group of genuine heroes: those who care for the children of other essential workers. Could it be that because these workers are disproportionately women of color, their service is overlooked and undervalued? While women of […]
By: The Washington Post As workday interruptions go, it was a cute one. Midway through a video call with our foundation’s covid-19 response team, a naked toddler appeared in the corner of the screen. Comic relief is in short supply these days, and we all welcomed the laugh. Later, it occurred to me that the […]
By: Fortune The U.S., like most of the world, is in the throes of a pandemic that has led to collapsing stock prices, plunging retail sales, and surging unemployment. With COVID-19 threatening the lives of millions and impacting every aspect of our daily lives and the global economy, is this the time to think about […]
By: Saporta Report When the Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive (PAACT) citywide alliance launched last year, we obviously had no idea what challenges would be in store for all of us 2020. GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Georgia originally convened a group of community leaders from the public and private sector to examine the data, develop a strategic vision, and to take actions that ensure that all […]
By: NPR Pediatricians across the U.S. are seeing a steep drop in the number of children coming in for appointments right now — only about 20% to 30% of the volume they would normally see this time of year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Though telemedicine can make up part of the difference, […]
By: AJC Georgia may be reopening for business, but most preschools and daycares are closed and many will remain that way due to the challenges of operating under a pandemic. As of Friday, two-thirds of the big centers were shuttered, as were a third of the smaller mom-and-pop businesses, according to the Georgia Department of Early Care […]