GEORGIA’S PRE-K PROGRAM

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department

of Early Care and Learning

Marsha H. Moore, Commissioner

Target Population

Georgia’s Pre-K Program is universal, i.e., it is open to all four year olds regardless of family income.

In 2005-2006 Georgia’s Pre-K Program:

• Served over 74,000 children• In all 159 counties in Georgia• Budget of $290M• Cost per child of $3,919

Unique Features of Georgia’s Pre-K Program

• Lottery funds provide dedicated monies• Successful public/private partnership• Voluntary• 180 days, 6.5 hours per day• Goal: to prepare children for success in school• Family support services• Interagency collaboration to coordinate

services at community level

Benefits of Universal Access• Stigma of “at risk” program removed• More diversified student population

enriches learning experience for all• Quality of Pre-K classes trickles down to

infant and toddler classes in private sector

• Increased school readiness for all children• More likely to receive greater public

support so that programs are of higher quality and reach more children

Challenges of Universal Access

• Funding in unstable economy• Ensuring access in all areas• Oversight and program quality

Evaluation

Georgia Early Childhood StudyStudy Measured:• Direct Assessments

– Beginning of preschool– End of preschool– Beginning of kindergarten

• Teacher Ratings(preschool and kindergarten• Surveys of teachers• Surveys of parents’ attitudes and

involvement• Observations of classroom activities

Georgia Pre-K PerformanceChildren participating in Georgia Pre-K

gained:• on national norms for solving math

problems; for letter and word recognition; and for vocabulary;

• on understanding printed material and story comprehension;

• mastery of one additional basic skill, either naming numbers, naming colors, or counting, on average

Reducing Initial Gaps

• Consistent high quality of Georgia’s Pre-K Program is a primary factor that reduces the initial gap between private preschoolers and lottery funded Pre-K by the beginning of kindergarten

• Developmental outcomes of all four-years olds were raised by high quality preschool experiences

Original Governance of Program

• Independent state agency• Executive director appointed by Governor• Reported directly to Governor• Operated without a Board of Directors• Independent of state department of

education• Used volunteer advisory groups

Advantages of Governance Structure

• Allowed focus to remain on early education

• Fast response to issues• Eliminated some bureaucracy associated

with large state agency• Able to treat public and private providers

as independent contractors• Equalized footing between public and

private providers• Funding formula flexibility

Challenges of the Governance Structure

• Political pressures• Viewed as “not real school”• Perception that public and private

Pre-K programs are different• School systems involved with two

state agencies (DOE & Bright from the Start)

• Perceived as having too much autonomy

New Governance Structure

• Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

• Independent agency separate from Georgia DOE

• Commissioner appointed by Governor• Governing Board of Directors and Advisory

Board• Responsible for creating and maintaining

comprehensive system of early care and education

• Legislatively identified as a DOE

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Created July 1, 2004 to:• Create and sustain a system of early

care and education• Reduce bureaucracy• Eliminate duplication of services• Blend resources• Coordinate efforts between early

childhood advocates and providers

Bright from the Start, continued

Created by merging:• Office of School Readiness• Child Care Licensing Division of the

Office of Regulatory Services• Georgia Child Care Council• Even Start Family Literacy Program• Head Start State Collaboration

Office

Advantages of New Governance Structure

• Legitimizes relationship between child care and education

• Raises awareness that quality early care is a critical component of the education continuum

• Allows for more extensive private involvement in the early education process

• More funding flexibility

Challenges of New Governance Structure

• Changing culturePublicParentsProvidersPolicymakers

• Increased need for collaborations• Creating and supporting local

service hubs

Meeting the Challenges of the New Governance Structure

• Building capacities of local resource and referral agencies

• Creating and participating in more community collaboratives

• Forming and utilizing ad hoc advisory committees

• Aligning standards• Increasing public relations/marketing efforts• Creating more opportunities for parent

involvement

Critical Success Factors

• Political• Programmatic• Administrative• Other

Political Critical Success Factors

• Direct involvement of the Governor• Adequate funding• Integrated program into existing child

care and education communities• Universal; not another “at risk”

program• Public/private partnership• Choice (providers AND parents)

Programmatic Critical Success Factors

• Emphasize education, not day care• Specify school readiness and learning

goals• Educate providers about appropriate Pre-

K and early child care instruction• Operate on public school calendar• Provide family support services• Provide intensive teacher training• Encourage parent involvement• Align policies with national organizations:

NGA, Zero to Three, NAEYC

Administrative Critical Success Factors

• Implement a uniform financial, payment, and reporting system for all providers

• Develop and disseminate funding levels• Develop and disseminate processes for

awarding classes• Establish minimum lead teacher salaries• Operate as a “business,” not as a state

bureaucracy• Require quality – internally and

externally

Other Critical Success Factors

• Listen to customers• Listen to critics• Don’t let semantics become a

barrier• Publicize activities and

accomplishments• Cultivate meaningful collaborations

For more information about Georgia’s Pre-K Program or Bright from the Start, visit:

www.decal.state.ga.us