Fayette County Resources
4 Areas of Strategic Influence
If Fayette County ensures that each child has quality early childhood experiences, then each child comes to school ready for kindergarten and is positioned for better life outcomes such as academic success, improved health and behavior, and higher earnings.
Quality experiences for young children
- Public libraries, parks and recreation programs, Georgia’s PreK program, FCPS Smart Start, and early learning programs
Community awareness about the importance of the first five years of a child’s life
- Engagement with various segments of the community
- Parent town hall meetings
- Building Brains from the Beginning website
Health and well-being of young children and their families
- Obstetricians and pediatricians supporting and educating parents and caregivers on brain science and child development
- Mental health and social/emotional supports for parents and caregivers
- Development of family friendly business policies and programs such as child care stipends and paid time off for infant/toddler medical appointments and conferences with caregivers
Coordination of community resources
- Coordination of resources among entities that touch families – Fayette County Public Schools, child care providers, private preschool programs, Head Start, DFACS, WIC, Dept. of Public Health, mental health providers, post-secondary institutions, food banks, financial literacy programs
Local Resource Links
What It Takes
- All children ages birth to five experience high quality environments that support learning and development.
- Families understand brain development and have information, skills, and support needed to create safe, nurturing, and language-rich environments that support a child’s early learning and development.
- Collaboration between early learning providers and the school system to ensure that childhood experiences are aligned and interconnected.
- Family-friendly policies being supported, promoted and implemented by business and community leaders.
What We Know
Brain Development
- Brain development is most rapid in the first 3 years of life.
- The quality of the experiences a child is exposed to has a critical impact on the brain’s development.
Effects of High Quality Early Learning
- Children in high-quality early learning programs are more likely to graduate high school, have a job, and earn higher wages.
- They are less likely to drop out of school, depend on social services, or be arrested.
Economic Impact of Early Education
- Every $1 invested in high-quality early learning yields $13 in savings.
- Georgia’s early care and education industry generates $4.7 billion to our economy.
- In Georgia, parents’ annual earnings of $24 billion is supported by the availability of child care.
How to Drive Change and Create Impact
Communicate
Raise awareness regarding
the importance of the first
5 years in a child’s life
Collaborate
Share information and develop action steps in support of early learning
and brain development
Educate
Provide parents and caregivers with resources to support brain development and early learning in language-rich environments.
Innovate
Create innovative ways to share information, educate parents, and support families of young children through community resources.