Since 2021, Urban Institute researchers have engaged in a close partnership with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) to help them explore a range of pressing questions about how to strengthen early care and learning in Georgia.
Our Approach to Seeking Insights and Evidence
This work has been characterized by DECAL’s strong commitment to valuing many forms of evidence and collaborating with our team to systematically gather and share it. This includes a strong emphasis on understanding the experiences and perspectives of
- the families who need care and education,
- center-based and home-based child care programs and providers,
- child care teachers and program directors,
- those who administer and deliver the services in and for DECAL, and
- other Georgia stakeholders and experts who are interested in strengthening early care and learning.
We have gathered these perspectives and experiences from more than 7,500 people through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. We also have analyzed administrative and survey data, conducted microsimulation modeling, and used implementation science to explore the early care and learning landscape in Georgia. Before making our recommendations, we shared our insights with those closest to the work to gain additional insights.
What We Have Learned
As of summer 2024, the Urban team has translated the information we gathered into key findings and recommendations for DECAL to use in making policy and operational decisions on the following:
- How to best use federal COVID-19 funds to strengthen early care and learning in Georgia (2021–22)
- Report: Supporting Georgia’s Early Care and Learning System with CRRSA and ARP Funding: Perspectives from Stakeholders and Families
- Brief: Supporting Georgia’s Early Care and Learning System with CRRSA and ARP Funding: Executive Summary
- Webinar: Supporting Georgia’s Early Care and Learning System with COVID-19 Relief Funding
- How to understand and support the need for nontraditional-hour child care (2022–24)
- Opportunities to improve DECAL’s early care and learning Quality Rated system (2022–24)
- Summary: Key Insights and Recommendations for DECAL's Comprehensive Review of Quality Rated
- Brief: Equity, Improvement, and Supporting Parents in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems
- Snapshot: Parent Perspectives on Quality in Child Care and Early Education in Georgia
- Report: Supporting Georgia's Comprehensive Review of Quality Rated
- Snapshot: Supporting Child Well-Being in Georgia's Quality Rated System
- Blog: Much-Needed Changes in Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Should Promote Equity
- How to understand and improve parents’ experiences with Georgia’s child care subsidy program, Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) (2023–26)
- Products are forthcoming starting in late summer 2024
If you would like to know more about this Urban Institute research with Georgia, please contact Dr. Teresa Derrick-Mills, the senior research fellow who leads much of this work. If you would like to learn more about this work from the Georgia team who guides this partnership, please reach out to [email protected].