SMART START GEORGIA GRANTS NEARLY $1 MILLION

December 9, 2003

DECEMBER 9, 2003 -- More Than 2,000 Early Learning Providers Throughout the State Receive INCENTIVE$ to Increase Education, Continue Work in the Field --

It is critical that young children have a stable and educationally sound environment in which to learn and develop necessary skills. One important component of a nurturing learning atmosphere is consistent care, which can be built with reliable providers with whom children can form and maintain strong attachments.

Research from the National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force shows that every year, 40 percent of child care workers leave their jobs. This turnover has an incredibly detrimental effect on children during the critical, formative years of birth to 3. However, programs such as Smart Start Georgia?s INCENTIVE$ have helped the state of Georgia achieve a low 9 percent turnover rate among recipients.

Statewide, 2,040 early learning professionals in 124 Georgia counties collectively received nearly $1 million from Smart Start Georgia?s INCENTIVE$ program this quarter. In addition, 288 INCENTIVE$ recipients are at Head Start centers and 726 INCENTIVE$ recipients are at Office of School Readiness centers.

Through its INCENTIVE$ program, Smart Start Georgia rewards early care and education professionals for continuing their work in their current setting and increasing their levels of education. By supplementing teachers' salaries, the program encourages those who work directly with young children to stay in the field and continue to gain knowledge and refine their skills.

"Smart Start Georgia strives to foster quality early learning experiences so that each child in Georgia is ready to succeed by the time he or she enters kindergarten," said Sharen Hausmann, director of Smart Start Georgia. ?Smart Start Georgia encourages early learning providers to achieve higher levels of education, which in turn helps our children achieve future successes in life."
Since its inception in April 2001, INCENTIVE$ has distributed nearly $3.5 million to more than 2,000 recipients in 124 Georgia counties. INCENTIVE$ helps professionals throughout the state of Georgia, but it is our youngest children who truly reap the rewards of INCENTIVE$? long-lasting impact.

?Research shows that children who experience quality early learning are less likely to drop out of school, repeat grades, need special education, or get into future trouble with the law than similar children who did not have such exposure,? said Marsha Moore, executive director of Georgia?s Office of School Readiness. ?Initiatives such as Smart Start Georgia?s INCENTIVE$ program help promote the high-quality, stable learning environments needed for children to succeed later in life.?

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, those who experience high-quality, stable child care engage in more complex play, demonstrate more secure attachments to adults and other children, and score higher on the measures of thinking ability and language development.

About Smart Start Georgia
Smart Start Georgia, previously known as the Georgia Early Learning Initiative (GELI), is dedicated to creating and implementing innovative programs and outreach initiatives to improve the quality of early care and education for all children ages birth through five throughout the state, promoting lifetime learning and ensuring greater achievement throughout the child's education and beyond. Smart Start Georgia is 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 additional supporting organizations.

For additional information on Smart Start Georgia programs or how to become involved, please call 1.877.STARTGA or visitwww.smartstartga.org. 

Stephanie Libby
Edelman
404.262.3000
stephanie.libby@edelman.com

Amanda Bolster
Smart Start Georgia
404.527.7307
abolster@unitedwayatlanta.org