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Episode 28 - Registration for Georgia's Pre-K Program 2020-2021 Mar 18, 2020

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In many parts of Georgia, it’s time to register your child for the 2020-2021 school year in Georgia’s Pre-K Program. The purpose of Georgia’s Pre-K Program is to prepare children for success in Kindergarten and later school years. Pre-K programs usually operate on the regular school system calendar for the length of a typical school day and are offered at local public schools or through private providers of preschool services. Joining us to talk about registering for Georgia’s Pre-K Program is Jackie Shivers, Director of Pre-K Quality Support, and Faith Duncan, Director of Pre-K Field Operations. Ladies, welcome to the podcast.

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Episode 27 - Our Response to COVID-19 Coronavirus in Georgia Mar 16, 2020

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From the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, this is a special edition of DECAL Download: COVID-19 Coronavirus in Georgia and DECAL’s response. Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs and Chief Communications Officer Reg Griffin host our special coverage with Deputy Commissioner for Georgia’s Pre-K Program and Instructional Supports Susan Adams, Deputy Commissioner for CAPS Elisabetta Kasfir, Deputy Commissioner for Finance and Administration Rian Ringsrud, and Child Care Services Director of Policy and Enforcement April Rogers. We also talk with Jamie Rechkemmer, VP of Education and Quality with Childcare Network, site of the first Georgia teacher in a child care setting testing positive for COVID-19.

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Episode 26 - 2020 Summer Food Service Program Mar 11, 2020

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It may be March, but our Nutrition Team has their mind on Summer and the need for eligible organizations to serve healthy meals to children when school is not in session. Last year we served over 4.8 million meals across Georgia, but the need is always growing. Joining us to talk about the Summer Food Service Program and how your organization can play an important role is Tamika Boone, Director of Nutrition Services, and Cindy Kicklighter, Manager of Nutrition Marketing and Outreach.

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Episode 25 - Path from Pre-K to College Sweepstakes Mar 04, 2020

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It’s never too early to be thinking about your child’s college education, even if your child is four years old! That’s the idea behind the Path from Pre-K to College Sweepstakes happening during March and sponsored by DECAL, Path2College 529 Plan and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Four lucky Pre-K students will be randomly selected to win $1,529 and give a little boost to their college tuition. Here to talk about the sweepstakes is Mitch Seabaugh, Executive Director of the Path2College 529 Plan.

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Episode 24 - Update on Quality Rated/CAPS 2020 Deadline Feb 26, 2020

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For child care providers in Georgia receiving CAPS funding, the clock is ticking. In order to continue to receive CAPS payments for your children and families served, you must be Quality Rated by December 31, 2020. Here to talk about the CAPS/Quality Rated 2020 Deadline is Laura Wagner, Community Outreach and Partnerships Director; Denise Jenson, Quality Rated Director; and Shawnell Johnson, Director of Family Support with the CAPS Program.

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Episode 23 - Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Top Ten Issues to Watch Feb 19, 2020

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In January, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education presented its 16th edition of Top Ten Issues to Watch Report. This year’s report considers the educational progress Georgia has made over the past decade and how are we are preparing for 2030. Joining us to talk about the Top Ten Issues is Dr. Dana Rickman, Vice President of GPEE, and Dr. Robert Gaines, Director of Communications.

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Episode 22 - Georgia Focus on PDG Grant Feb 17, 2020

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Governor Brian Kemp has announced that Georgia has received a three-year, $11.2-million Preschool Development Renewal Grant (PDG) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education. Georgia is one of only 20 states to receive this grant that will allow the state to expand efforts to help families access high quality early childhood services statewide. This funding builds on an initial $2.9 million PDG planning grant the state received in January 2019. In this episode, Deputy Commissioner of Georgia's Pre-K Program and Instructional Supports Susan Adams talks with John Clark on the Georgia News Network's "Georgia Focus" program about the grant and its impacts.

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Episode 21 - 2020 Legislative Update Feb 12, 2020

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The 2020 Georgia General Assembly has been in session for almost a month now. The opening week starting January 13 included the annual State of the State Address by Governor Brian Kemp. Joining us to discuss the General Assembly and the State of the State is Liz Young, Director of Government Relations and Special Projects for DECAL, and Rian Ringsrud, our Deputy Commissioner for Finance and Administration.

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Episode 20 - Inclusive Early Learning Week 2020 Feb 05, 2020

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All next week, February 10-14, the State of Georgia and all of us at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning are celebrating Inclusive Early Learning Week. It’s our effort to increase public awareness and advocacy for inclusion…and to celebrate inclusive classrooms here in Georgia. Here to talk about this special week and how you can get involved is Veronica Thomas, Inclusion and Behavior Support Manager, and Codi Parham, Behavior Support Specialist.

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Episode 19 - ServiceNow Jan 29, 2020

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With over 700 employees across the state, Information Technology is vitally important to the success of our agency, from personal laptops and smartphones to custom applications on a myriad of servers and websites. 2019 was a busy year of moving information to the cloud and rebranding of DECAL IT and formally establishing our internal IT Service Management processes using ServiceNow, a cloud-based IT service management platform. Here to talk about ServiceNow and other improvements currently happening in IT is Dennis Brice, Chief Information Officer for DECAL, and Arun Kandel, our Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Technology Officer.

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