---
title: HR 1734. Georgia Pre-K Week; October 5-9, 2026; recognize
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1734
cite_as: HR 1734, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1734
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1734.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1734/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74151
date: 2026-03-16
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1733.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1735.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 131
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1734.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1734
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-16
last_action: House Read and Adopted
sponsors:
  - Jan Jones
  - Chris Erwin
  - Carmen Rice
  - Matt Dubnik
  - Bethany Ballard
  - Lydia Glaize
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1734/2025
upstream_id: 2134559
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - early childhood education
  - Georgia Pre-K Program
  - education funding
  - teacher pay
---

# HR 1734. Georgia Pre-K Week; October 5-9, 2026; recognize

## Text

House Resolution 1734
By: Representatives Jones of the 47th, Erwin of the 32nd, Rice of the 139th, Dubnik of the 29th,
Ballard of the 147th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing October 5–9, 2026, as Georgia Pre-K Week; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program was started by Governor Zell Miller in 1992 as a pilot
program serving 750 students and now provides quality early education experiences to more
than half of the state's four-year-old children; and
WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program has been formally administered statewide by the
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning since 2004; and
WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K has helped prepare more than 2 million of Georgia's children
for success in kindergarten and beyond since it began; and
WHEREAS, findings from the longitudinal study on Georgia's Pre-K conducted by the Frank
Porter Graham Child Development Institute show that children in Georgia's Pre-K
demonstrate significant gains across all learning domains, and these gains are sustained
through the end of fourth grade; and
WHEREAS, multiple studies of Pre-K programs, including Georgia's Pre-K, show that
participation in Pre-K can greatly improve school readiness skills, particularly for high-risk
populations; and
WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program has recognized two outstanding educators—one from
a public school system and one from a private child care center—as Georgia's Pre-K Program
Teachers of the Year for 2025-2026: Teresa Swaim from West Jackson Elementary in
Hoschton and Autumn Hart from Bundle of Joy Academy in Marietta; and
WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program is ranked eighth best in the nation for access to Pre-K
for four-year-olds; and
WHEREAS, there is a growing commitment to improving the quality of child care in
Georgia, with more than half of Georgia's Pre-K programs participating in Quality Rated, the
voluntary quality improvement system for child care programs; and
WHEREAS, the House Working Group on Early Childhood Education was appointed during
the 2023 Legislative Session to determine ways in which the system of Pre-K education in
Georgia could be improved; and
WHEREAS, the working group's recommendations include specific areas in need of change
to make the Pre-K program more accessible and effective, such as restoring class sizes to 20
students, increasing salaries for assistant teachers, providing pay parity between Pre-K and
K-12 teachers, increasing operating funds for Pre-K programs, counting Pre-K enrollment
in entitlement earnings for public school systems, and ensuring equivalent lease payments
for private Pre-K providers; and
WHEREAS, Georgia Pre-K programs serve more than 70,000 children annually in
approximately 3,785 classrooms operating in all 159 counties in Georgia; and
WHEREAS, Voices for Georgia's Children and the Georgia Department of Early Care and
Learning will host Georgia Pre-K Week for the 16th consecutive year during the first full
week of October.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body recognize October 5–9, 2026, as Georgia Pre-K Week; thank the
hundreds of programs, teachers, aides, and staff who have built a nationally recognized Pre-K
program and other high-quality early education programs; and encourage parents, educators,
community members, and business leaders to participate in Georgia Pre-K Week and support
high-quality, accessible, and affordable early education for all children in the great State of
Georgia.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to
Voices for Georgia's Children.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House resolution designates October 5-9, 2026 as Georgia Pre-K Week, honoring the state's Pre-K Program and the educators who run it.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes October 5-9, 2026 as Georgia Pre-K Week. It highlights the history of Georgia's Pre-K Program, which began in 1992 under Governor Zell Miller and has since been run statewide by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. The resolution cites research showing gains for children who attend Pre-K and notes recommendations from a legislative working group on ways to improve the program, such as smaller class sizes and better pay for teachers.
The resolution does not create any new law or spending. It thanks Pre-K programs, teachers, and staff, encourages Georgians to participate in Pre-K Week, and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to Voices for Georgia's Children.

### What it does

- Designates October 5-9, 2026 as Georgia Pre-K Week in the state of Georgia.
- Formally thanks the teachers, aides, and staff who work in Georgia's Pre-K programs.
- Encourages parents, educators, community members, and business leaders to take part in Georgia Pre-K Week.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send a copy of the resolution to Voices for Georgia's Children.

### Who it affects

The resolution mainly affects Georgia's Pre-K Program and the people connected to it: teachers, teacher aides, program staff, the roughly 70,000 children enrolled annually, their parents, and organizations like Voices for Georgia's Children and the Department of Early Care and Learning.

### Why it matters

The resolution carries no funding or legal changes, but it publicly highlights Georgia's Pre-K Program and a legislative working group's recommendations, such as smaller class sizes and better teacher pay, potentially drawing attention to those issues among lawmakers and the public.

### Key provisions

- States the history and outcomes of Georgia's Pre-K Program, including its start in 1992 and administration by the Department of Early Care and Learning since 2004.
- Cites research from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute on sustained learning gains for Pre-K participants.
- Notes recommendations from the House Working Group on Early Childhood Education, including restoring class sizes to 20 students and increasing assistant teacher pay.
- Resolves that the House recognizes October 5-9, 2026 as Georgia Pre-K Week and thanks program staff.
- Directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to Voices for Georgia's Children.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-03-16)
- Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-16)
- Sponsors: Jan Jones, Chris Erwin, Carmen Rice, Matt Dubnik, Bethany Ballard, Lydia Glaize
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74151

> The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1734.md?full=1