Investing in Early Care and Education Supports Young Children and Their Families
- May 20
- 1 min read
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) implemented nearly 30 initiatives and distributed more than $2 billion in relief funding from March 2020 to April 2024 to stabilize the early care and education (ECE) industry and support young children and their families.
Child Trends’ recent evaluation of the DECAL program found:
Stabilization funds helped programs remain open. Child care programs that received stabilization funding had significantly lower permanent closure rates than those that did not.
Most teachers used workforce bonus payments to help with necessities such as rent, bills, groceries, and clothing.
Relief funds helped providers retain staff, avoid layoffs, delay or prevent closure, make facility repairs and improvements, and continue quality improvement activities.
The expanded eligibility for child care subsidy and the temporary removal of family fees increased access to free child care, helping families keep their jobs, afford household essentials and remote learning equipment, and build savings during a stressful time.
