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Episode 10 - Best Places to Eat in Georgia Nov 21, 2018

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Thanksgiving Week seems like a good time to discuss food...and we mean really discuss food, as in the Best Places to Eat in Georgia. As a state agency, our employees travel A LOT, especially our consultants working with providers and parents through CAPS, Child Care Services, Georgia’s Pre-K Program, Quality Rated, Nutrition and so much more! For this episode, we’re calling upon some bonafide culinary experts, Deputy Commissioner for System Reform Kristin Bernhard and Chief Legal Officer Ira Sudman. Hope you're hungry!

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Episode 9 - Person First Language Nov 14, 2018

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“Person First Language” is a different way of thinking about the words we use when we’re talking to or about people with disabilities. In this episode we learn more about this topic from Brandy Locchetta, Inclusion Manager here at DECAL. We'll even take a quiz to see how much we know...and how much we have to learn!

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Episode 7 - Inside Scoop with the Commissioner's Executive Assistant Oct 12, 2018

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Scheduler, assistant, gatekeeper. Maybe the way to really get to know Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs is to get to know her Executive Assistant and Board Liaison Quandra Collins. Hear what happens behind the scenes at DECAL and then take a quiz on how well Quandra really knows the Commissioner.

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Episode 8 - Criminal Background Checks in Georgia Oct 12, 2018

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In January, 2014, DECAL began implementing a state law requiring all employees in Georgia's child care programs to undergo a national criminal background check based on fingerprints. For the next two years, DECAL is paying the cost of the initial national fingerprint scan for eligible early care and education workers. Learn more about this law from DECAL Chief Legal Officer Ira Sudman and Legal Services Supervisor Christie Bearden.

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Episode 6 - Meet Pam Stevens from Child Care Services Oct 11, 2018

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Pam Stevens is our new Deputy Commissioner for Child Care Services, but you may know her from Quality Rated, or her years as a teacher, behavior specialist, or child care director. Learn more about Pam and this important role in the licensing and regulating of child care programs in Georgia.

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Episode 5 - Open Enrollment at DECAL Oct 10, 2018

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Monday is the start of the Annual Open Enrollment for the 2019 Plan Year of the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP). Open Enrollment starts October 15 and runs through November 2. Learn more from Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs and Sabrina Henry, HR Operations Supervisor at DECAL.

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Episode 4 - Georgia's Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) Program Sep 28, 2018

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The Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program has been serving Georgia’s children and families since 1972. The program is funded federally by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), also known as the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). In recent years, the program moved to DECAL from the Division of Family and Children Services. Elisabetta Kasfir is the Deputy Commissioner for Federal Programs.

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Episode 3 - Georgia Pre-K Week Sep 27, 2018

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We talk with Deputy Commissioner for Georgia's Pre-K Program and Instructional Supports Susan Adams about Georgia Pre-K Week, October 1-5, 2018. Now in its eighth year, Georgia Pre-K Week is coordinated by Voices for Georgia’s Children, a policy and advocacy non-profit organization. The goal of Pre-K week is to emphasize the importance of quality early childhood education by providing opportunities for leaders to engage with Pre-K classrooms in local communities.

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Episode 2 - Introducing the Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning Sep 25, 2018

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The Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning makes strategic investments to improve and expand high-quality early education to help ensure all children in Georgia are prepared to succeed when they enter kindergarten regardless of family income or location. Our guests today include Executive Director Carrie Ashbee and Advancement and Donor Relations Coordinator Sarah Tinsley.

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Episode 1 - Chat with Commissioner Jacobs Sep 24, 2018

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Governor Nathan Deal appointed Amy M. Jacobs as Interim Commissioner of Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning in June 2014. In January 2015, she was sworn in as permanent commissioner. Commissioner Jacobs leads the agency responsible for the early care and education of hundreds of thousands of Georgia’s children. She oversees an annual budget of $700 million for programs focused on child care licensing, child and adult care nutrition, child care quality, and early childhood education, specifically Georgia’s Pre-K Program.

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