TODAY'S NEWS FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2004

April 16, 2004

APRIL 16, 2004 By Florence Rankin 
flo.rankin@gaflnews.com 


TIFTON ? Berrien and Tift County residents will celebrate the Month of the Young Child with a sing-along/dance at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 20, at the Tift County Recreation Department, the director of Smart Start Georgia said Thursday. 

Proclaimed by Gov. Sonny Perdue, the Month of the Young Child recognizes early learning professionals and early care and education advocates and celebrates the success of statewide initiatives that improve the quality of early care for Georgia?s youngest children. 

Smart Start Georgia, a public-private partnership among the State of Georgia, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, United Ways of Georgia, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and more than 40 other organizations, has funded more than $500,000 in incentives, scholarships, technical training and tiered reimbursement in Tift and Berrien counties since expanding into this area. The programs, which focus on education for child-care providers, are in their second year in Tift County and their first year in Berrien. 

?The Month of the Young Child is a time to recommit ourselves to ensuring that every child experiences the type of early care and education at home, at child care, at school and in the community that promotes quality early learning,? said Sharen Hausmann, director of Smart Start Georgia. ?We at Smart Start Georgia strive to foster quality early learning experiences so that each child in Georgia is ready to succeed by the time he or she enters kindergarten.? 

Hausmann said cuts in the upcoming fiscal year?s state budget ?unfortunately affect everyone? and will make it difficult for Smart Start Georgia to expand into other counties as hoped. ?We?re still trying to find ways to maintain our level of service,? she said. ?We need for people in all of the counties we serve to keep supporting the programs and keep advocating.? 

For more information about the sing-along celebration, contact Kim Yarbrough of Kids? Advocacy Coalition at 382-9919. 

To contact city editor Florence Rankin, call 382-4321, ext. 209. 

â?? This article posted with permission from The Tifton Gazette.