Helping ensure that young children receive quality child care
About 87% of children under six live in a family where at least one parent is employed full-time, and 33% live in a two-parent family with both parents working full-time. High-quality early care and education (ECE) is essential for young children. Young children in high-quality ECE programs learn valuable motor, language, cognitive, and social-emotional skills that prepare them for school success, social relationships, and emotional well-being in elementary school and beyond.
UGA Extension’s ECE/child care programs provide continuing education for ECE teachers, and help parents know how to find high-quality ECE programs for their children.
ECE Teacher/Child Care Provider Training
UGA Extension agents in many Georgia counties provide entity-approved training to help ECE teachers meet state licensing requirements. Check out our Extension child care provider training calendar for events in your area, or contact your local agent to learn more about upcoming training.
Healthy Environments Self-Paced Online Course
This self-paced online course is designed to help ECE teachers understand how to keep the ECE/child environment safe and healthy. Each individual module in this course will introduce you to a specific topic related to healthy environments. ECE teachers can receive a certificate of participation for each module they complete successfully. Specific module topics include Preventing Lead Poisoning, Injury Prevention and Control, Water Quality and Safety, Asthma Prevention and Management, and Radon. Modules on Emergency Management for ECE and Energy Conservation for ECE are coming soon.
Eat Healthy, Be Active
UGA Extension is improving young children’s health and well-being by helping ECE teachers and families teaching nutrition and physical activity concepts in ways that preschoolers can understand.
Child Care Quality Matters!
Wondering how to choose high-quality care for your child? Check out this interactive guide to find out about the different types of child care, learn the markers of high quality care, and know what questions to ask when looking for an ECE/child care program.
eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care
Want to know more about high-quality ECE/child care for children of all ages? Check out the information, hands-on activities for children, and webinars of the eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care (EABCC) Community of Practice, a team of Extension early childhood professionals who are passionate about young children and committed to supporting quality early care and education nationwide. Join us on Facebook for more conversation about early learning and ECE.
Helpful Links
- Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
- Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children
- Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
- Quality Rated in Georgia
- Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families