New Federal Advocacy Campaign: Child Care Can’t Wait

The existing structure of America’s child care system is unsustainable. Most parents can’t afford the high cost of child care. Half of Americans live in an area without quality care options at all. And providers can only charge what families in their area can afford, which often translates into near-poverty wages for early educators.

Now is the time for Congress to address America’s child care crisis with a significant, sustained investment in our early education system to ensure every family who needs it can access the care options that work for them.

We need your help to make sure Congress knows that #ChildCareCantWait!

Here’s how you can help:

• Contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and encourage them to approve a significant and sustained investment in America’s child care and early learning system. We’ve made it easy for you! Click here to complete the action alert. (It takes less than 90 seconds.)
• Share your story to strengthen our advocacy efforts as we work to capitalize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
• Use our #ChildCareCantWait Toolkit to leverage social media to raise awareness about the importance of early care and learning and policies that support young children, families, and the early childhood workforce.

RECAP: City of Atlanta Mayoral Candidates’ Virtual Forum on Supporting Children & Families

On October 6, 2021, GEEARS, The Junior League of Atlanta, and PAACT: Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive hosted the Atlanta Mayoral Candidates’ Virtual Forum.

The virtual forum highlighted the opportunities and ideas that candidates for Mayor have to ensure that Atlanta is a city where all young children and their families can thrive. Candidates addressed questions about health, child care and Pre-K, trauma, family engagement, and more.

DECAL's STABLE 4WARD Assistance for Georgia-based Child Care Providers

All licensed Georgia child care providers are encouraged to apply for the fourth round of STABLE (Short-Term Assistance Benefit for Licensed Entities) from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). Funding for STABLE 4WARD comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) passed by Congress earlier this year and will help child care providers and families with workforce support, child care tuition relief, costs of facilities, supplies, materials, and food. DECAL has developed a fair and equitable formula for determining the amount of each STABLE 4WARD payment. Eligible providers may apply for assistance through the KOALA platform.

Have questions about this opportunity? Click here to view the Frequently Asked Questions document provided by DECAL. You may also send an email to stable@decal.ga.gov.

PAACT, Low Income Investment Fund, and Wells Fargo Foundation Partner to Provide Grants to Family Child Care Home Programs

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 unprecedented times.

Greater than six in ten (62%) said that in light of the coronavirus pandemic, they are more likely to consider smaller, home-based care than larger group settings. Home-based care includes family/friend/neighbor care and family child care homes. With families preferring to keep their children in smaller settings, our citywide alliance of public and private partners saw an opportunity to step in and support Atlanta’s licensed home-based child care providers. 

PAACT: Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive, a citywide alliance convened by GEEARS, in partnership with the Low-Income Investment Fund (LIIF), launched a new grant program exclusively for family child care learning home programs located in the City of Atlanta. PAACT and LIIF provided grants to family child care learning homes to help sustain operations as they continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19 on their child care businesses.

Twenty family child care homes received funding awards ranging from $7,000 to $18,500 to cover operation costs such as payroll, rent, utilities, and insurance. Grant recipients may also use the funding to purchase program materials, furniture, or supplies needed to meet the demands of operating during COVID-19 and beyond. All eligible child care programs that submitted a complete application and met the criteria were awarded a grant.

“The launch of this fund allowed PAACT to support the City of Atlanta’s small network of family child care homes, so they have the financial resources to weather the crisis and continue providing quality care to families with young children,” said Brittany Collins, Director of PAACT.

“Family child care learning homes are a critical part of the child care system in Georgia, and these investments help to ensure that families in Atlanta can continue to rely on them to provide high quality, equitable and responsive care for their children,” said Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS. 

The grant program is funded through a national grant from Well Fargo Foundation and administered by LIIF. 

“These grants will provide crucial financial support for family child care learning home programs struggling to provide quality child care amidst the pandemic,” said Angie Garling, Vice President of Early Care and Education Programs at LIIF.  “The early care and education sector, made up primarily of women of color, has been hard hit by the pandemic and recession. These small businesses need financial support to survive and for the local economy to recover.”

Family child care home operator Jane Benson said, “This grant opportunity afforded me the opportunity to not only remain open but also to maintain my affordable rates as well as hire a new staff person to support the program. I am thrilled to have the additional support at the program but also to be able to provide an employment opportunity to a member of my community. In addition, I am also now able to provide a scholarship to an existing client, a single mom who no longer was able to afford childcare. I want to express my gratitude for being selected as a recipient of this grant.”

PAACT and LIIF are proud to support family child care home providers who care for over 180 children from age birth to five in the City of Atlanta.

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