To reach the North Star goal by 2033, Georgia’s leaders must address the literacy gaps that emerge before kindergarten and that widen into adulthood. Too many children are unable to read on grade level because of nonacademic factors like low parental education, community poverty, and lack of access to health care. State leaders should ensure that vulnerable children and families receive integrated education, health, and family supports to close learning and well-being gaps.
Early Care and Child Development
Greater access to evidence-based strategies, such as home visiting, comprehensive health screenings, and early interventions for children with developmental delays, that promote school readiness and parental engagement.
Creation of a statewide early learning workforce strategy focused on improving working conditions, strengthening professional preparation, and achieving compensation parity relative to similar professions.
Family and Community Supports
Championing policies that support economic mobility and mitigate family poverty, e.g., Medicaid expansion, paid family leave, state earned income tax credit programs, and expanded access to childcare subsidies.
Supporting multi-generation strategies that increase parental engagement and encourage the integrated delivery of services across Georgia’s education, health, and economic and workforce development sectors.
Early Learning Indicators
Health and Economic Indicators
National Organizations and Initiatives
Alliance for Early Success
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (UC-Berkeley)
Harvard Center on the Developing Child
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center (Vanderbilt University)