SAVE THE DATE: GEEARS 10th Anniversary Luncheon

GEEARS is celebrating its tenth year of service! Since its inception in 2010, GEEARS has been committed to supporting high-quality early learning and healthy development for Georgia’s youngest children by championing policies, promoting innovative and evidence-based practices, and building public will.

Mark your calendars for our 10th Anniversary Luncheon on Friday, August 27th, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center. Be on the lookout for more details about our special guest speakers, sponsorship opportunities, and information on how to secure your seat! #CheerstoGEEARS

APPLY TODAY: GEEARS Preschool to Third Grade (P-3) Leaders Fellowship

GEEARS’ Preschool to 3rd Grade (P-3) Leaders Fellowship is a year-long fellowship for Atlanta-based early learning program directors and elementary principals to learn together, build relationships, and collaborate to improve outcomes for their area’s youngest learners. In Atlanta, the P-3 Leaders Fellowship is conducted in partnership with Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive (PAACT), a citywide alliance convened by GEEARS that works to support high-quality early learning and the healthy development of Atlanta’s youngest children.

GEEARS invites leaders of early learning programs and elementary schools to apply to the P-3 Leaders Fellowship for the 2021 – 2022 academic year. This year’s programming will include a hybrid model of two in-person events and live online programs.

Decades of research and practice show just how vital and interconnected children’s experiences are during their first eight years of life, from birth through third grade. This period, which we refer to as "P-3" (Preschool to 3rd Grade), is critical because of the unparalleled pace of neurological, physiological, and social development in children. The opportunity to set children on a path to academic achievement and improve life outcomes is greatest during this P-3 period. All too often, however, the opportunity to align and improve childhood experiences during these critical years is overlooked. 

To address this, GEEARS has designed the P-3 Leaders Fellowship program specifically for early education and school leaders, with a specialized curriculum developed with input from early learning providers, K-12 partners, and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). Over the course of four intensive sessions from September to March, Atlanta-area leaders from across the P-3 continuum will convene to become leading P-3 voices committed to strengthening early childhood outcomes.

Applications are open now through Friday, July 16^th.

Legislative Updates

It’s been a busy time on the Hill for issues related to young children! Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath and Congressman Chris Stewart (R-UT) recently introduced bipartisan legislation, entitled the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act, which will support and expand research on the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (or “ACEs”).  “While we take important steps to prevent childhood trauma and protect our children, we must also understand the impact of these experiences across backgrounds,” said Congresswoman McBath. The bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to explore the community contexts for childhood trauma and to study protective factors. Read more, including a statement from GEEARS, in the full press release here. 

Earlier last month, Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Congressman Pete Stauber (R-MN) introduced bipartisan legislation, entitled the Convening Operations Assistance for Childcare Heroes (COACH) Act, to help child care small businesses start and grow. “Childcare is infrastructure and childcare professionals, many of whom are women of color, are essential workers,” said Congresswoman Williams. “The COACH Act will deliver resources to hardworking childcare providers and allow their businesses to thrive. Keeping childcare facilities open will help make childcare more accessible to communities and help families put food on the table as the economy reopens as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Read more, including a statement from GEEARS, in the full press release here.  

In addition to the pieces of legislation mentioned above, a bipartisan group of Georgia’s Congressional Delegation have signed on to various Dear Colleague letters in support of robust funding for child care programs, such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start. Make sure you are signed up for GEEARS’ action alerts to stay up-to-date on legislation related to young children! 

Atlanta Early Education Ambassadors Help Raise Awareness About Lead Exposure in West Atlanta

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in soil at levels that vary depending on the region. Exposure to high lead levels can be unsafe for human health, especially for children and pregnant women.

Based on recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) soil sample results from yards on the Westside of Atlanta, many properties in the English Avenue and Vine City neighborhoods have dangerous lead levels. 40% of properties in the areas studied by the EPA found the soil lead levels above the EPA remedial threshold of 400 parts per million.

The Atlanta Early Education Ambassadors canvassed the neighborhood delivering letters and posting yard signs to raise awareness and provide information to residents on how they can be tested for lead.

If you think you or someone you know has been exposed to lead from the soil, contact the Westside Community Health Workers for assistance with finding a doctor or health care center to obtain a lead test. Call 404-481-5790 or send an email to westsidereferrals@chris180.org.

NEW RESEARCH BRIEF: Racism Creates Inequities in Maternal and Child Health, Even Before Birth

ZERO TO THREE and Child Trends have partnered to inform maternal and child health policy and practice. This brief applies an even more targeted racial and ethnic equity lens to the review of the data from the State of Babies Yearbook: 2021 and lays out recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to promote equity and improve maternal and child health.

In every state, significant disparities are hurting the ability of babies and families of color to thrive, often driven by historical and structural inequities. This supplemental report reinforces this understanding, exploring these disparities to better identify areas that warrant further examination and action.

EVENT RECAP: Road to Ready Virtual Bus Tour

Last month, policymakers, business leaders, community leaders, educators, and health professionals joined GEEARS for the 2021 Road to Ready Virtual Bus Tour. The theme for this year’s tour was Bouncing Back from the Pandemic. We “hit the road” for three days of virtual lunchtime programming featuring topics affecting Georgia’s youngest learners, their families, and the professionals serving them.

Health experts, early care and learning providers, policymakers, and other community leaders shared realities and innovations from their experiences over the past year and how they are planning for a thriving post-COVID world for children 0-5 years old.
Here is a snapshot of what we covered:

• how the health and wellbeing of young children have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic;
• how Georgia’s policymakers and community organizations have supported families during this time;
• innovative ways 2-Generation approaches have adapted to strengthen families;
• how state agencies and nonprofit organizations collaborate to meet the needs of young children and families across the state;
• and ways champions of young children can advocate to secure Georgia’s early care & learning sector through the pandemic and beyond.

EVENT RECAP: ZERO TO THREE’s National Strolling Thunder 

On May 18th, babies from all 50 states and DC delivered a message to Congress: push babies to the top of your priority list! Families with infants and toddlers met with their members of Congress virtually to encourage them to #ThinkBabies for the national Strolling Thunder, led by ZERO TO THREE. 

The GEEARS team was happy to accompany the Johnson family to represent Georgia in speaking with the offices of Senator Raphael Warnock and Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux. Kristen Johnson, a preschool director and mother of two young children from Duluth, shared her story and discussed the importance of paid family leave. Kristen shared, “We really need to take better care of our families, both mothers and fathers, so we can compete on an international level with other developed nations.”

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