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: GEEARS New data indicates families with infants and toddlers, particularly in underserved communities, continue to struggle, but visionary state legislation could be a game-changer. ATLANTA, GA – Our brains grow faster between the ages of 0 to 3 than at any later point in our lives – forming the foundation for all future health and learning. The State of […]
An afternoon with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Representative Katie Dempsey, and other early childhood champions. In 2015, pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha exposed Flint, Michigan’s water crisis to the world. Ever since she’s been fighting for the children whose futures have been dimmed by lead poisoning. At Leadership Matters, a luncheon hosted by GEEARS on April 12th, […]
By: GEEARS ATLANTA (April 4, 2022) – Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced the City of Atlanta will invest $5 million toward early education services in his State of the City address this morning. As part of his announcement, he also urged the school system to match this commitment and challenged the private sector to raise […]
By: GEEARS for Saporta Report In neighborhoods throughout the United States including Georgia, children cannot drink from a faucet or make mudpies outside without risk of lead poisoning. In some homes across Georgia, children are exposed to dust from chipping, peeling, and flaking lead-based paint that results in elevated blood lead levels. According to the […]
By: GEEARS for Saporta Report The COVID-19 pandemic and the latest omicron wave have exacerbated many of the longstanding challenges facing the early care and education profession, as child care programs and families alike have wrestled with staffing shortages and temporary closures. But the pandemic has also led many to better appreciate the irreplaceable work […]
By: GEEARS for Saporta Report Earlier this fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. As evidence, they cited a CDC report, which found that between March and October 2020, emergency department visits for mental health […]
By: PAACT for Saporta Report The City of Atlanta’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, known as OEDI, is on a mission to leverage the combined power of government, private and non-profit partners, and communities to dismantle systemic inequities and barriers to opportunity. The newly codified executive office is harnessing the power of aligning strong leadership […]
By: GEEARS for Saporta Report Lead poisoning isn’t just a problem in Flint, Michigan, and toxic lead levels aren’t just found in drinking water. Over the last year, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students has been working with community leaders on the Westside of Atlanta, where lead slag found in a grandmother’s garden soil has […]
By: PAACT for Saporta Report In July 2021 GEEARS commissioned a statewide survey of 400 Georgia parents with children ages 0-4 that focused on a range of topics including child care arrangements and satisfaction levels, general attitudes toward, perceptions of, and preferences for child care, and financial and employment impacts in relation to child care during these […]
By: GEEARS for Saporta Report There is a workforce crisis. It is a national issue and also one in Georgia. This issue started before the pandemic and has become more amplified over the past 18 months. It has become increasingly difficult to recruit people to careers in early childhood education. Before and during the pandemic, educators […]