With increased national concern about education, brain development research, federal funding, and welfare reforms, Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes says he supports the national early childhood initiative. The initiative assists states and local communities in strengthening early learning and equips young children with the skills they need to start and succeed in school.

Why is early learning of concern to Georgians?

Early childhood, the period in a child's life from birth through age 5, is a critical time for children to develop the physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills they will need for the rest of their lives. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2001 Kids Count, Georgia ranks very low among states with regard to the well-being of children (44th) and the percentage of children living in poverty (37th). Many of Georgia's children reach kindergarten unprepared to learn and succeed in school.

Research shows that children who enter school without readiness skills run a significant risk of starting and staying behind. By fourth grade Georgia's children rank within or near the bottom 25 percent achieving "basic" proficiency levels in reading and math. The state ranks 50th in SAT scores and 49th in high school completions.

Ultimately, school failure will impede Georgia's employment and community economic development by:

• Reducing the likelihood that Georgia's children will be able to compete in the workforce and hold living-wage jobs as adults.
• Making communities less able to attract new business, economic investments, and jobs for the low-skilled population.

How is Georgia responding to this concern?

Several early learning initiatives are underway that are making a difference in the lives of Georgia's children and families:

• Georgia's Appalachian Regional Commission's Early Childhood Initiative (ECI)
• Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK)
• Georgia Early Learning Initiative (GELI)
• Georgia READS

Georgia's Appalachian Regional Commission's Early Childhood Initiative

Five counties (Elbert, Fannin, Franklin, Haralson, and Polk) in the Appalachian Region of Georgia are working though their local Family Connection collaboratives to implement the Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), a strategy designed to support families with children ages birth to 4 years. The ECI seeks to improve the physical, educational, social and emotional outcomes of young children and promote self-sufficiency in families.

What makes ECI so different?

ECI is a strategy for social change that engages families as participants rather than as recipients of services. It works with the entire family, providing or facilitating "wrap-around" services that contribute to the multiple supports a family may need to jump-start their success. Most importantly, ECI helps families improve their educational and economic well-being through partnerships with community human service and economic organizations, both private and public, which create a context for success.

Why were these five counties selected?

The Appalachian regional rate of poverty is 15.3 percent, as compared to the overall Georgia rate of 10.2 percent and the U.S. rate of 13.1 percent. All five participating counties have high rates of poverty, low birth-weight newborns, teen pregnancy, school failure, illiteracy and unemployment.

How is ECI funded?

The Children's Trust Fund Commission within the Dept. of Human Resources is fiscal agent for the ECI Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) funds. Gov. Barnes determined that half of the ARC monies should support young families and improve economic, health and social outcomes. The administrative portion of the ARC grant is matched with state dollars, and the community portion is matched with state/local dollars and in-kind resources secured by each county.

What best practices are integral to Georgia's ECI?

Five components based upon best practices research are common across the ECI sites: universal contact at birth, intensive home visitation, developmental child care, parenting education, and adult education and job training.

Want to learn more?

To learn more about this initiative, e-mail Carol Wilson at carolcwilson@tds.net. To learn more about ECI's best practice components and results, read the article, "Achieving Results: Georgia's Early Childhood Initiative," in this issue of Connected.