GEEARS: Child Care Town Hall

On March 12, 2024, BCDI-Atlanta co-hosted with Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) and other child advocacy organizations a crucial Town Hall. With the state legislative session ending on March 28th, urgent advocacy is needed. The current budget allocates only $5M to Georgia's CAPS Program, leaving a significant over $165 million gap. While DECAL manages logistics, state legislators must ensure adequate funding. Please urge your state senator and the Governor to prioritize additional funding for CAPS in the FY 2025 budget. Investing in early childhood education is investing in our future.

If you missed it, you can rewatch the town hall replay here.

Action Items:

• Complete the action alert here.

• Share your experiences with childcare. Your stories are crucial for strengthening advocacy efforts and will earn you a $10 Amazon gift card.

• Check out the resources and events from the co-hosts below for other ways to get involved.

Additional Resources from Co-Hosts (Listed in Alphabetical Order)

9to5 Georgia

• Opportunity: Join the Child Care Movement

American Heart Association

• Tool: Finding Commonalities and Solutions With Decision-Makers for Prenatal to Three

Black Child Development Institute (BCDI) – Atlanta

• Resource: Policy Resources

• Event: Quarterly Affiliate Meetings (next meeting: April 9th, 2024 from 6:30-8:00 PM)

Caring Across Generations

• Opportunity: Apply for the Care Fellowship (Applications Open through this Friday, March 15th)

CDF Action

Georgia Alliance of YMCAs

Georgia Association for Education of Young Children (GAEYC)

• Event: Informal Meetings (every Wednesday from 1-2:00 PM)

• Event: ECE Policy Action Network (next meeting: Tuesday, March 19th from 6-7:00 PM)

Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI)

• Resource: Barriers to Bridges: County Fact Sheets on Child Care - Georgia Budget and Policy Institute and Caring Across Generations

Georgia Child Care Association (GCCA)

GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students

• Resource: Find Your Legislators

• Resource: Key Legislation Tracker

• Resource: Voices from the Field (Surveys, Focus Group Reports, and More of Early Childhood Education)

• Resource: CAPS One Pager

Georgia Head Start Association

Low Income Investment Fund (LIFF)

Professional Family Child Care Alliance of Georgia (PFCCAG)

• Event: Annual Conference (Saturday, April 13th, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM)

Quality Care for Children

• Opportunity: Annual Provider Survey from QCC is currently live. The survey link was shared directly with child care providers from across the state. Survey will close on 3/20/24.

• Event: QCC’s Annual Early Start Breakfast (Wednesday, May 1st)

• Webinar: Bridging Generations: Grandparents as Primary Caregivers to Children for Parents and Family Advocates (Thursday, March 14 at 12:00 PM)