2026 Policy Agenda

Supporting Georgia’s youngest learners and the educators who serve them

The Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children, a state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, represents nearly 9,000 early childhood educators and professionals committed to ensuring that all Georgia children, ages birth through eight, have access to high-quality early learning opportunities. As one in five Georgia children under age six live in poverty and over 13,000 children under age three experience homelessness, state investment in early childhood is more urgent than ever.

GAEYC calls on Georgia policymakers to prioritize these research-backed policy priorities:

Strengthen and Sustain the Early Childhood Workforce

Georgia’s early childhood field faces a critical workforce crisis. High-quality early childhood education depends on well-prepared, well-compensated educators, yet low wages and limited benefits drive chronic staff shortages that reduce program capacity and quality. Research demonstrates that early childhood educators’ knowledge, skills, and working conditions directly impact children’s developmental outcomes. GAEYC urges Georgia to:

  • Increase compensation and benefits for early childhood educators across all settings through direct wage supplements and comprehensive benefit packages

  • Expand scholarship programs and loan forgiveness to support educators pursuing credentials and degrees

  • Prioritize children of income-eligible early educators for CAPS scholarships to support workforce stability

Expand Access to Affordable, High-Quality Child Care

Georgia currently serves only 7% of income-eligible children through the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program, the lowest eligibility threshold in the nation, while child care challenges cost the state at least $2.52 billion annually in lost economic activity. To address this crisis, Georgia must:

  • Restore CAPS enrollment to 2023 levels and serve significantly more children by raising income eligibility limits

  • Maintain increased reimbursement rates that reflect the true cost of providing quality care

  • Create a dedicated capital improvement grant program to help providers build, renovate, and modernize facilities

  • Explore dedicated funding streams for infant-toddler care, Georgia’s most underserved and costly-to-provide age group

Build on Georgia’s Pre-K Program and Ensure Comprehensive Early Learning Systems

Georgia’s Lottery-Funded Pre-K program has served four-year-olds for over 30 years, yet 128,000 three-year-olds lack access to quality early education. With unrestricted Lottery reserves totaling $1.7 billion, Georgia should implement a pilot “3K” program targeting high-need communities that uses mixed delivery models. Additionally, the state must strengthen support for children with disabilities and developmental delays by increasing funding for early intervention services and ensuring inclusive learning environments across all early childhood settings.

Support Family Well-Being Through Comprehensive Policies

The health and stability of families directly impact children’s development. Georgia ranks 42nd nationally for uninsured children, and more than one in ten Georgia babies are born with low birthweight. GAEYC calls on Georgia to:

  • Streamline Medicaid enrollment and reduce administrative barriers to ensure continuous health coverage for young children

  • Simplify enrollment in Georgia Pathways to Coverage for parents and early educators

  • Strengthen maternal and child health programs including home visiting and Babies Can’t Wait

  • Allocate Georgia’s share of SNAP administrative costs to maintain this critical nutrition program for 201,000 children under age six

  • Increase paid parental leave for state employees from six to twelve weeks, aligning with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations