Annual report / Bright from the Start, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, fiscal year 2006

Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Annual Report Fiscal Year 2006

BRIGHT,.) 17,:/SrART
Georgia Department of EarlyCare and Learning
February 2007
Dear Early Care and Education Partner,
Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia General Assembly created Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start) in 2004 to lead the state's efforts in meeting the early childhood care and education needs of Georgia's children and their families . We have achieved many successes and made much progress since our inception .
This inaugural report provides a snapshot of Bright from the Start's main divisions for Fiscal Year 2006 (FY 2006) . The report is by no means an exhaustive account of all the department has done. Bright from the Start is involved in scores of initiatives and collaborations aimed at improving services to children and their families and at supporting the early care and education industry in Georgia . The report will , however, establish a baseline against which reports of subsequent years can be measured .
Every day more than 700 ,000 children are impacted directly and indirectly by the work of Bright from the Start. Quality early education not only benefits our children ; it benefits us all. It creates jobs. It enables parents to work. It attracts new business. And it is the first step in preparing a qualified future workforce for our state.
Thank you for your interest in the well-being of Georgia's children and in the work of Bright from the Start. Together we can support quality early care and learning in Georgia and thereby create better lives for our children, their families, our communities , our state, and future generations.
Sincerely,
Marsha H. Moore Commissioner
Annual Report FY 2006

Bright from the Start is responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia's children and their families. This year we redefined our mission and vision thereby clarifying our focus on children: we established and fine-tuned standards to support families and help us determine if our children are ready for school : and we began creating a Balanced Scorecard to help us gauge the department's effectiveness in meeting our goals and objectives .
Mission -To prepare Georgia's children to succeed .
Vision - High quality early learning experiences are accessible to all children in Georgia .
Georgia's Definition of School Readiness
A child is ready for school when possible health barriers that block learning have been detected, suspected physical or mental disabilities have been addressed , enthusiasm , curiosity, and persistence toward learning is demonstrated , feelings of self and others are recognized , social and interpersonal skills are emerging, communication with others is effective , early literacy skills are evident , a general knowledge about the world , things , places, events , and people has been acquired .
It takes a community to prepare a child for school , and Bright from the Start partners with federal, state , and local organizations : providers: and parents in a child-focused collaboration .

Bright from the Start Board Members
Chair Luann Purcell Warner Robin s, GA Eighth Congressional Di stri ct Represe ntati ve
Vice Chair Ted Mallory Fayettevi lle, GA Th ird Congress io na l District Representative
Secretary Carlene Talton Decatur, GA Fifth Congressio na l Dist rict Rep resenta t ive
Gabrielle Braswell Atla nta , GA Sixth Co ngressional Di strict Representative
Melissa Turner Brase lton, GA Seve nth Congress ional District Representative
lanlce Gallimore Greensboro, GA Tenth Congressional Di st rict Representati ve
Victor Morgan Cartersvi ll e, GA El eventh Congress ional District Representat ive
Maggy Martinez Hampton , GA Thirteenth Congressional District Representative

Annual Report FY 2006

Child Care Services
The goa l of Chi ld Care Services (CCS) is to promote healthy, safe and high quality child care environments through effective support of and collaboration wit h the child ca re community. In FY 2006 CCS was responsib le for approximate ly I 0,700 chi ld care entities (ch il d care learning centers, fami ly chi ld care homes , group day care homes, and informal providers) .
Our CCS consu lta nts , who live in the communities they serve , made over 14, 150 visits to chi ld care providers in FY 2006.

Monitoring Visits _ ___ 4,747

, - - - - Technical Assistance 356

Complaint Investigations _ __
2,331

Licensing Studies 6,719

Licensing Studies: In depth regulatory review Complaint Investigations: Investigating allegations of non-compliance Monitoring Visits: Ensuring on-going compliance Technical Assistance: Providing support to improve quality ,

The pu rpose of these visits is to help parents and providers be confident t hat children are in a safe & healthy learning environment , which cont ributes to a ch ild 's development.

Annual Report FY 2006

BRJGHT~) J TART
Georgia's Pre-K Program
Georgia's Pre-K Program prepares children for kindergarten by providing a developmentally appropriate preschool program within a child-centered environment. Tfie Georgia Early Cfiildfiood Study 2001-2004 conducted by Georgia State University indicates that the Pre-K program is having a positive impact on Georgia 's children and that the children enrolled in Georgia 's Pre-K Program make significant gains relative to their peers nationally in language and cognitive skills during their Pre-K year.
Georgia's Pre-K Program is universal, i.e., open to all children four years of age on September I of the current school year and who are Georgia residents. Many national studies, including the one by Georgia State University, have indicated universal programs allow children of differing abilities to benefit from their peers . The following snapshots depict the diversity among children in Georgia 's Pre-K Program , which received funding for 74 ,000 enrollments in FY 2006.

Category Two ----. 45.34

Category One 54.66

Category I: Receives some type of public assistance Category 2: Does not receive public assistance

Annual Report FY 2006

BRicm;.) uTART
More About Georgia's Pre-K Program

Native

American
O

--~

African

American - - ~

39

, - - - - Multi-Racial 4
_ _ _ Hispanic II
Asian or Pacific Islander 3

Teacher qua lity is also known to impact child development, and the vast majority of the lead teachers in Georgia 's Pre-K Program have at least a four-year degree.

Two-Year

Degree ~

21

".

Four-Year Degree 19

Four-Year Degree & State Certification 60

Annual Report FY 2006

BRJGHT) 'START
Nutrition
Bright from the Start administers the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Georgia. The goal of these programs is to ensure that children and adults throughout Georgia have access to nutritious meals.
In FY 2006 the CACFP in Georgia served 76 ,242 ,690 meals and conducted 300 reviews of providers participating in the program .
In the summer of 2006, the SFSP served 4,038 ,924 meals to Georgia's children who might not otherwise have received a nutritious meal.

1

r I') .,.._) I

I r ) CACFP

!..J J J ) _.J -

_.J )

Meals Served

SFSP Meals Served

( \ Providers
:.J Reviewed
r 1/ I ~ J r ) r
- J ) .J f..J )

,-.) I I
J _.J -

I'

"'(
l."11

.... ,,- Annual Report FY 2006 ' . I .. t

~\

BRJcm) r:-'START
Quality Initiatives
Quality Init iatives is a multi-faceted division of the department that helps develop and implement strategies to improve the quality of ea rl y education and chi ld care services for Georgia 's chi ldren and fami lies.
Standards of Care
The Standards of Care Program supports child ca re learn ing centers . group day ca re homes. and family day care homes in enhancing the quality of care provided to the children and families they serve . Research indicates higher quality learning environments provide more family support and result in better child outcomes . such as in creased preparedness for school. Providers voluntarily participat ing in these programs work toward specific designations that recognize the level of quality in their center/ home.
Training
Training is an integral component of all the programs administered by Bright from the Start. In FY 2006 Bright from the Start trained the fo ll owing numbers of personnel.

14000 12000 10000 8000
3000 2000 1000
0

ll.866

Pre-K

Standards

Nutrition

of Care

Annual Report FY 2006

BmCH1i,) u TART
INCENTIVES and SCHOLARSHIPS
The INCENTIVES and SCHOLARSHIPS programs provide financial support to child care workers/teachers for enhancing their professional credentials and for continuing employment at the same facility.

-, I - ) I INCENTIVES =.J ) !./ ~ !.) Recipients

Received 'r - ) -_ J [ ,-.1 r )- I ~

0 - / _J !)

2) ") J J 2)

Received

SCHOLARSHIPS Recipients

We salute the hard working early care & learning professionals in Georgia who have used this support to attain higher educational ach ievements while serving Georgia 's ch i ld ren ful l time.

296

SC HOLARSHIPS

INCE NTI VE S
FY 2004 - 2006

Attainment levels include: Diploma to CDA, CDA to Technical Certificate, Technical Certificate to Associate, Associate to Bachelor, Bachelor to Masters.

Annual Report FY 2006

Head Start State Collaboration
The Head Start State Collaboration Office, housed in Bright from the Start, enhances services to low-income children and their families by building collaborative partnerships between federally funded Head Start programs and state funded early childhood programs. In FY 2006 4,300 more children received Pre-K services as a result of collaborati on between Head Start and Pre-K.
Strategic Initiatives
Georgia Early Learning Standards
Georgia has received national attention for the release of our Georgia Early Learning Standards (GELS) for children from birth to age three. A resource for both teachers and parents , the completion of the GELS was the last piece in Georgia 's development of an aligned and seamless system of standards from birth to college.
Professional Development System
Bright from the Start initiated a major overhaul of the professional development system for early care and learning professiona ls in 2006. Features of the new system include an online registry that allows providers to track their educational attainment, enhanced screening of state approved trainers and programs , and the development of articulation agreements so prolonged advanced level training ca n result in college credit.
Annual Report FY 2006

Balanced Scorecard
In FY 2006 Bright from the Start began creating a Balanced Scorecard to help the department gauge its effectiveness in reaching its goals and objectives. Department staff identified the following four strategic themes on which it will focus in the next fiscal year:
Quality Professional Development Communication Internal Organizational Effectiveness
For each theme , staff is developing objectives , targets, measures , and initiatives . In the annual report for FY 2007 . staff will use the Balanced Scorecard to report the department's progress in meeting its goals and objectives.
Customer Service
Bright from the Start regularly engages its customers to determine how effectively the department is doing its job. In FY 2006 the department contracted with Georgia State University to develop, distribute, and compile results from formal customer service surveys . Georgia State University is currently receiving and compiling data from surveys sent to customers in the following areas :
Georgia's Pre-K Program Nutrition Services Child Care Learning Centers Family Day Care Homes
Reports detailing responses from these surveys will be available later in 2007.
Bright from the Start is also an active participant in the Governor's Customer Service Initiative. The department is modifying its current customer service protocols and measurement tools, so our performance can be benchmarked against other state agencies.
FASTER. FRIENDLIER. EASIER.
Annual Report FY 2006

BRIGHT,.) 17,:/SrART
Georgia Department of EarlyCare and Learning
February 2007
Dear Early Care and Education Partner,
Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia General Assembly created Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start) in 2004 to lead the state's efforts in meeting the early childhood care and education needs of Georgia's children and their families . We have achieved many successes and made much progress since our inception .
This inaugural report provides a snapshot of Bright from the Start's main divisions for Fiscal Year 2006 (FY 2006) . The report is by no means an exhaustive account of all the department has done. Bright from the Start is involved in scores of initiatives and collaborations aimed at improving services to children and their families and at supporting the early care and education industry in Georgia . The report will , however, establish a baseline against which reports of subsequent years can be measured .
Every day more than 700 ,000 children are impacted directly and indirectly by the work of Bright from the Start. Quality early education not only benefits our children ; it benefits us all. It creates jobs. It enables parents to work. It attracts new business. And it is the first step in preparing a qualified future workforce for our state.
Thank you for your interest in the well-being of Georgia's children and in the work of Bright from the Start. Together we can support quality early care and learning in Georgia and thereby create better lives for our children, their families, our communities , our state, and future generations.
Sincerely,
Marsha H. Moore Commissioner
Annual Report FY 2006

Bright from the Start is responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia's children and their families. This year we redefined our mission and vision thereby clarifying our focus on children: we established and fine-tuned standards to support families and help us determine if our children are ready for school : and we began creating a Balanced Scorecard to help us gauge the department's effectiveness in meeting our goals and objectives .
Mission -To prepare Georgia's children to succeed .
Vision - High quality early learning experiences are accessible to all children in Georgia .
Georgia's Definition of School Readiness
A child is ready for school when possible health barriers that block learning have been detected, suspected physical or mental disabilities have been addressed , enthusiasm , curiosity, and persistence toward learning is demonstrated , feelings of self and others are recognized , social and interpersonal skills are emerging, communication with others is effective , early literacy skills are evident , a general knowledge about the world , things , places, events , and people has been acquired .
It takes a community to prepare a child for school , and Bright from the Start partners with federal, state , and local organizations : providers: and parents in a child-focused collaboration .

Bright from the Start Board Members
Chair Luann Purcell Warner Robin s, GA Eighth Congressional Di stri ct Represe ntati ve
Vice Chair Ted Mallory Fayettevi lle, GA Th ird Congress io na l District Representative
Secretary Carlene Talton Decatur, GA Fifth Congressio na l Dist rict Rep resenta t ive
Gabrielle Braswell Atla nta , GA Sixth Co ngressional Di strict Representative
Melissa Turner Brase lton, GA Seve nth Congress ional District Representative
lanlce Gallimore Greensboro, GA Tenth Congressional Di st rict Representati ve
Victor Morgan Cartersvi ll e, GA El eventh Congress ional District Representat ive
Maggy Martinez Hampton , GA Thirteenth Congressional District Representative

Annual Report FY 2006

Child Care Services
The goa l of Chi ld Care Services (CCS) is to promote healthy, safe and high quality child care environments through effective support of and collaboration wit h the child ca re community. In FY 2006 CCS was responsib le for approximate ly I 0,700 chi ld care entities (ch il d care learning centers, fami ly chi ld care homes , group day care homes, and informal providers) .
Our CCS consu lta nts , who live in the communities they serve , made over 14, 150 visits to chi ld care providers in FY 2006.

Monitoring Visits _ ___ 4,747

, - - - - Technical Assistance 356

Complaint Investigations _ __
2,331

Licensing Studies 6,719

Licensing Studies: In depth regulatory review Complaint Investigations: Investigating allegations of non-compliance Monitoring Visits: Ensuring on-going compliance Technical Assistance: Providing support to improve quality ,

The pu rpose of these visits is to help parents and providers be confident t hat children are in a safe & healthy learning environment , which cont ributes to a ch ild 's development.

Annual Report FY 2006

BRJGHT~) J TART
Georgia's Pre-K Program
Georgia's Pre-K Program prepares children for kindergarten by providing a developmentally appropriate preschool program within a child-centered environment. Tfie Georgia Early Cfiildfiood Study 2001-2004 conducted by Georgia State University indicates that the Pre-K program is having a positive impact on Georgia 's children and that the children enrolled in Georgia 's Pre-K Program make significant gains relative to their peers nationally in language and cognitive skills during their Pre-K year.
Georgia's Pre-K Program is universal, i.e., open to all children four years of age on September I of the current school year and who are Georgia residents. Many national studies, including the one by Georgia State University, have indicated universal programs allow children of differing abilities to benefit from their peers . The following snapshots depict the diversity among children in Georgia 's Pre-K Program , which received funding for 74 ,000 enrollments in FY 2006.

Category Two ----. 45.34

Category One 54.66

Category I: Receives some type of public assistance Category 2: Does not receive public assistance

Annual Report FY 2006

BRicm;.) uTART
More About Georgia's Pre-K Program

Native

American
O

--~

African

American - - ~

39

, - - - - Multi-Racial 4
_ _ _ Hispanic II
Asian or Pacific Islander 3

Teacher qua lity is also known to impact child development, and the vast majority of the lead teachers in Georgia 's Pre-K Program have at least a four-year degree.

Two-Year

Degree ~

21

".

Four-Year Degree 19

Four-Year Degree & State Certification 60

Annual Report FY 2006

BRJGHT) 'START
Nutrition
Bright from the Start administers the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Georgia. The goal of these programs is to ensure that children and adults throughout Georgia have access to nutritious meals.
In FY 2006 the CACFP in Georgia served 76 ,242 ,690 meals and conducted 300 reviews of providers participating in the program .
In the summer of 2006, the SFSP served 4,038 ,924 meals to Georgia's children who might not otherwise have received a nutritious meal.

1

r I') .,.._) I

I r ) CACFP

!..J J J ) _.J -

_.J )

Meals Served

SFSP Meals Served

( \ Providers
:.J Reviewed
r 1/ I ~ J r ) r
- J ) .J f..J )

,-.) I I
J _.J -

I'

"'(
l."11

.... ,,- Annual Report FY 2006 ' . I .. t

~\

BRJcm) r:-'START
Quality Initiatives
Quality Init iatives is a multi-faceted division of the department that helps develop and implement strategies to improve the quality of ea rl y education and chi ld care services for Georgia 's chi ldren and fami lies.
Standards of Care
The Standards of Care Program supports child ca re learn ing centers . group day ca re homes. and family day care homes in enhancing the quality of care provided to the children and families they serve . Research indicates higher quality learning environments provide more family support and result in better child outcomes . such as in creased preparedness for school. Providers voluntarily participat ing in these programs work toward specific designations that recognize the level of quality in their center/ home.
Training
Training is an integral component of all the programs administered by Bright from the Start. In FY 2006 Bright from the Start trained the fo ll owing numbers of personnel.

14000 12000 10000 8000
3000 2000 1000
0

ll.866

Pre-K

Standards

Nutrition

of Care

Annual Report FY 2006

BmCH1i,) u TART
INCENTIVES and SCHOLARSHIPS
The INCENTIVES and SCHOLARSHIPS programs provide financial support to child care workers/teachers for enhancing their professional credentials and for continuing employment at the same facility.

-, I - ) I INCENTIVES =.J ) !./ ~ !.) Recipients

Received 'r - ) -_ J [ ,-.1 r )- I ~

0 - / _J !)

2) ") J J 2)

Received

SCHOLARSHIPS Recipients

We salute the hard working early care & learning professionals in Georgia who have used this support to attain higher educational ach ievements while serving Georgia 's ch i ld ren ful l time.

296

SC HOLARSHIPS

INCE NTI VE S
FY 2004 - 2006

Attainment levels include: Diploma to CDA, CDA to Technical Certificate, Technical Certificate to Associate, Associate to Bachelor, Bachelor to Masters.

Annual Report FY 2006

Head Start State Collaboration
The Head Start State Collaboration Office, housed in Bright from the Start, enhances services to low-income children and their families by building collaborative partnerships between federally funded Head Start programs and state funded early childhood programs. In FY 2006 4,300 more children received Pre-K services as a result of collaborati on between Head Start and Pre-K.
Strategic Initiatives
Georgia Early Learning Standards
Georgia has received national attention for the release of our Georgia Early Learning Standards (GELS) for children from birth to age three. A resource for both teachers and parents , the completion of the GELS was the last piece in Georgia 's development of an aligned and seamless system of standards from birth to college.
Professional Development System
Bright from the Start initiated a major overhaul of the professional development system for early care and learning professiona ls in 2006. Features of the new system include an online registry that allows providers to track their educational attainment, enhanced screening of state approved trainers and programs , and the development of articulation agreements so prolonged advanced level training ca n result in college credit.
Annual Report FY 2006

Balanced Scorecard
In FY 2006 Bright from the Start began creating a Balanced Scorecard to help the department gauge its effectiveness in reaching its goals and objectives. Department staff identified the following four strategic themes on which it will focus in the next fiscal year:
Quality Professional Development Communication Internal Organizational Effectiveness
For each theme , staff is developing objectives , targets, measures , and initiatives . In the annual report for FY 2007 . staff will use the Balanced Scorecard to report the department's progress in meeting its goals and objectives.
Customer Service
Bright from the Start regularly engages its customers to determine how effectively the department is doing its job. In FY 2006 the department contracted with Georgia State University to develop, distribute, and compile results from formal customer service surveys . Georgia State University is currently receiving and compiling data from surveys sent to customers in the following areas :
Georgia's Pre-K Program Nutrition Services Child Care Learning Centers Family Day Care Homes
Reports detailing responses from these surveys will be available later in 2007.
Bright from the Start is also an active participant in the Governor's Customer Service Initiative. The department is modifying its current customer service protocols and measurement tools, so our performance can be benchmarked against other state agencies.
FASTER. FRIENDLIER. EASIER.
Annual Report FY 2006