Starting Monday, leaders from around the state will participate in “Georgia Pre-K Week” by visiting classrooms and reading to children. The idea is to draw attention to early education programs.
“We can talk about our standards and our program and the great results the program gets and the children receive as a result of the program,” says Amy Jacobs, commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, which oversees Georgia Pre-K Week. “But I think there’s nothing better than seeing it and actually interacting with the teachers and the students.”
A recent University of Georgia and Georgia State University study showed Georgia’s early education programs generate $4.7 billion in economic activity each year. According to the report, the programs also create about 67,000 jobs statewide.
“It also allows parents to earn about $24 billion by providing a healthy, safe place for their children to go while they work,” Jacobs said.
Georgia’s pre-K program serves about 60 percent of the state’s 4-year-old children.
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