Bright from the Start Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning – Preschool Development Grant Awards $37,400 to Resilient Georgia for Early Childhood Educator Trainings Across 12 Statewide Regions
ATLANTA – October 2021 – Resilient Georgia, a statewide coalition of organizations building a more resilient, trauma-informed Georgia, was awarded $37,400 in grant funding from Bright from the Start Georgia's Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) Preschool Development Grant.
The funding will support efforts across Resilient Georgia’s 12 regional coalitions and will fund training in community resiliency and mindful self-compassion for early childhood education leaders, as well as creating resiliency zones for early childcare centers. These zones create a safe space for both students and staff. They promote self-regulation and mindfulness and include age-appropriate calming resources. These spaces specifically work to help educators teach children the skills they need to manage their emotions in safe ways, and one that students want to go to solve problems and regain control of their emotions. Laura Lucas, the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Director at DECAL states “this funding will support strategic planning efforts across the state to focus on infant and early childhood mental health and to better prevent and treat early childhood traumatic experiences.”
“This past year has been unlike any we have ever experienced as a society,” said Emily Anne Vall, executive director of Resilient Georgia. “The social isolation, fear, and sickness that has run rampant in our state and country has added another element in the equation. When we look at the counties with highest Covid death toll in Georgia, many of them are part of our Resilient Georgia regional grantee regions. Many of the children in these regions have lost loved ones, their homes, have caregivers that have lost their jobs, or have extreme levels of food insecurity. These extreme stressors can impact young people for a lifetime, which is why it is so important to arm educators with all the tools we possibly can.”
Resilient Georgia aims to align public and private efforts and resources across the state that support resiliency for all persons aged 0-26 and their families. The organization works with 12 regions across Georgia to provide an emphasis on trauma informed awareness and care, as well as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and child sexual abuse prevention training. Resilient Georgia serves as a supportive and guiding resource during each region’s planning and implementation process. Resilient Georgia is dedicated to creating a trauma informed state that cares for the 0-5 population in a caring, innovative, and progressive way, and Resilient Georgia’s leadership is devoted to early brain development, and infant and early care best practices.
“ACEs are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting impacts on health, behavioral, and social problems,” continued Vall, noting the timing of Resilient Georgia’s launch in 2019 was fortuitous and well-timed to support the mental and behavioral health “shadow pandemic” Georgia and other states nationwide are experiencing. “This funding and support from DECAL will help further engage our state’s 0-5 subject matter experts, stakeholders, and families, which will directly and positively impact Georgia’s children.”
Learn more at resilientga.org.
The project described was supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0070 from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
About Resilient Georgia
Resilient Georgia is a statewide coalition of more than 100 partners and over 700 stakeholders committed to building a stronger, more resilient Georgia. Through a network of public and private partners, Resilient Georgia is creating a pipeline of trauma-informed behavioral health services and resources that support children and families who have experienced adversity. This integrated system includes prevention, early intervention, research, advocacy and policy, and care implementation and coordination. Learn more at resilientga.org.
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