Just as “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” the first five years of a child’s life are said to be the most important in terms of development.
A new grant will help Catoosa County meet the needs of some of its youngest residents, those with families who need a little help themselves from time to time.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for our students and parents. We will be able to provide activities for preschool students who have not had school experiences … to help students enroll in the school system,” said Catoosa County Schools Superintendent Denia Reese.
Poverty level and premature birthrates contributed to Catoosa being selected as one of Georgia’s Early Education Empowerment Zones, she said. The Department of Early Care and Learning used data like third-grade reading proficiency, poverty level, premature birthrates and the percentage of licensed child care capacity filled by children receiving subsidy to initially identify 11 geographic regions of the state with challenging circumstances for children.
Those were then whittled down to four.
Early Education Empowerment Zones, or E3Z’s, are regions of the state that have agreed to work in partnership with the Department of Early Care and Learning and other state agencies to pilot early-education system reform initiatives and partnerships. As E3Z’s, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Gilmer and Gordon counties will receive more than $1 million in targeted resources and participate in research that will help the state identify sustainable implementation strategies that can be scaled statewide.
“This is a great opportunity for Catoosa County to receive some much-needed money for early education,” said Catoosa County Family Collaborative Coordinator Phil Ledbetter. “We are grateful for the opportunity to receive this money.”
Funding for the E3Z initiative is part of the $51.7 million Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant received last year by Bright from the Start – Georgia Department of Health and Human Services.
The E3Z initiative will be implemented over a three-year period remaining for the ELC grant. Georgia’s grant includes a variety of projects, all of which focus on improving services to Georgia’s children from birth to age 8 and their families.
“We can use early-childhood funds to get children more prepared for education and life,” said Catoosa Citizens for Literacy Educational Coordinator Darla Crawford.
While DECAL is the lead agency for the grant, the work will be accomplished through partnerships with other state and federal agencies and nonprofit organizations.