Georgia

Overview of Pre-K Program—Bright from the Start

• Universally open to all four-year olds in Georgia
• Voluntary program for both families and providers
• Funded by lottery funds through the state and private initiatives
• Public/private partnership
• Formative hands-on management directly from Governor
• Administered by the Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning

Brief History of Georgia’s Pre-K Program

• began in 1992 as a pilot program serving 750 at-risk four-year-old children
  and their families at 20 sites.
• 1993-1994 began using lottery funds to provide for the Pre-K program
  (at this point had more than 8,700 at-risk four-year old children in the program)
• September, 1995, program opened to all eligible four-year old children
  (1994-95 served 15,500 children, 1995-96 school year served 44,000 children

Evaluations of Georgia’s Pre-K Program

• The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement conducts yearly evaluations (report cards) of two indicators of Pre-K services delivered to four-year olds in Georgia
  • Accessibility
  • Quality
• Most Recent Report Cards
  • 2005-2006
  • 2004-2005

Georgia Early Learning Initiative

• Created in 1999
• Funding was provided first in fiscal year 2002 from Georgia state funds as well as private monies
• Mission: To improve the quality of early care and education, so that Georgia’s children are better prepared for school.
• A six month evaluation of the Georgia Early Learning Initiative was conducted in 2002, the results are presented in “Improving Early Childhood Education in Georgia, Progress Report on Year 1 of the Georgia Early Learning Initiative (2002)”
• This project is now known as Smart Start Georgia