Integrating a System of
Early Care and Education

A jumble of initiatives and programs that serve children from birth to school entry and beyond reach only limited populations and geographic areas. Systems are not aligned, services fragmented, and data not transferable because state-level initiatives often focus on system components rather than an integrated continuum. There is a need at the federal and state levels for an early care and education system that creates an entry point to what U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan describes as a cradle to career pipeline.

Georgia has launched a multitude of initiatives to connect early childhood, pre-school, and in-school education providers. But achieving the expectation of reading proficiency requires better coordination, alignment, and sequencing in the context of shared expectations, indicators, and data.