---
title: SB 554. Early Care and Learning; a grant program to expand access to child care and preschool programs; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb554
cite_as: SB 554, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb554
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb554.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb554/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73539
date: 2026-02-25
status: introduced
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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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb554.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 554
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-24
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Chuck Payne
- Jason Anavitarte
- Sonya Halpern
- Tonya Anderson
- Billy Hickman
- Randy Robertson
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB554/2025
upstream_id: 2123537
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- child care
- early childhood education
- rural Georgia
- state grants
- Pre-K
---
# SB 554. Early Care and Learning; a grant program to expand access to child care and preschool programs; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 554
By: Senators Payne of the 54th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Halpern of the 39th, Anderson of the
43rd, Hickman of the 4th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 1A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions regarding early care and learning, so as to provide for a grant
program to expand access to child care and preschool programs; to provide that the
Department of Early Care and Learning shall establish grant criteria; to provide for such
department to establish grant amounts; to provide for grant purposes; to provide for a grant
condition; to provide for technical assistance; to provide for the promulgation of rules and
regulations; to provide for definitions; to provide legislative findings and purpose; to provide
for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 1A of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions regarding early care and learning, is amended by adding a new Code
section to read as follows:
"20-1A-19.
(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is in the public interest that child care
providers have access to capital for repairs, renovations, and expansion of their facilities,
particularly in rural areas, to the maximum extent practicable to improve economic and
social conditions. It is the purpose of this Code section, therefore, to provide grants to
increase the capacity of child care facilities of this state, and it is the intention of the
General Assembly that this Code section be liberally construed to carry out such purpose.
(b) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Program' means the Georgia Child Care Facilities Program established by this Code
section.
(2) 'Rural county' means a county in this state that has a population of less than 50,000
according to the United States decennial census of 2020 or any future such census.
(c) No later than July 1, 2027, the department shall create and administer a grant program
to be known as the Georgia Child Care Facilities Program for the establishment and
expansion of facilities for child care learning centers and family child care learning homes
licensed by the department.
(d)(1) The department shall establish criteria for the award of grants for the program,
which shall be determined upon a competitive basis, and shall prioritize applications
which demonstrate one or more of the following:
(A) Participation in Georgia's Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program;
(B) Participation in Georgia's Pre-K Program; or
(C) Meets two or more of the following criteria:
(i) The applicant is located in a rural county and demonstrates a need to expand
access to licensed child care and preschool programs in such county by the ratio of
children in licensed child care and preschool programs to the total number of children
from six weeks to 13 years of age;
(ii) The applicant is located in a school district with low reading proficiency as
demonstrated with a percentage of third grade students in such school district with a
score of proficient learner or above on the most recent English Language Arts (ELA)
milestones assessment lower than the state average for such assessment;
(iii) The applicant serves children from birth to five years of age in disability
inclusive environments as defined by the department; or
(iv) The applicant participates in a federal nutrition program, including, without
limitation, the Child and Adult Care Food Program authorized under 7 C.F.R. 226 or
the Summer Food Service Program authorized under 7 C.F.R. 225.
(2) The department shall publish the application process and grant criteria on its website.
(e)(1) Grants awarded pursuant to this Code section shall be subject to appropriations by
the General Assembly or other available funding and shall be used to:
(A) Construct new child care learning centers or family child care learning homes;
(B) Retrofit, renovate, repair, or modernize existing child care learning centers or
family child care learning homes in a manner that will result in increased capacity;
(C) Retrofit, renovate, repair, or modernize existing facilities for use as new child care
learning centers or family child care learning homes; or
(D) Provide for nonrecurring costs to increase the utilization of existing licensed child
care capacity.
(2) The department shall be authorized to establish the amounts associated with grants
awarded pursuant to this Code section based on factors that include, without limitation,
the scope of the project, regional costs, the provision of inclusive environments, or the
need to meet licensing requirements or health and safety standards.
(f) As a condition of receipt of grant funds awarded pursuant to this Code section, the
recipient shall enter into a contract with the department that provides the recipient will
remain operational as a licensed child care learning center or licensed family child care
learning home for at least five consecutive years after receipt of the initial grant award and
may include a provision for repayment of grant funds if such condition is not met.
(g) The department shall make technical assistance available to grantees, including but not
limited to, support for project development, business, licensing, operations, and
coordination of funding sources. Such technical assistance may be provided by the
department directly or by an organization funded by the department.
(h) A grantee that does not own the facility for which grant funds are requested shall
maintain a lease, or other legally enforceable right of occupancy, with a minimum
remaining term of five years as a condition of eligibility.
(i) In any given fiscal year, the department may allocate up to 25 percent of the total
moneys available in the grant fund to be held in reserve for administration and technical
assistance expenses associated with the program.
(j) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this
Code section."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would create a state grant program, run by the Department of Early Care and Learning, to help child care providers build, expand, or renovate their facilities, with priority for rural areas.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia currently has no dedicated state grant program to help child care providers pay for building repairs, renovations, or expansion. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's early care and learning law creating the Georgia Child Care Facilities Program. The Department of Early Care and Learning would have to set up the program by July 1, 2027, and would decide grant amounts and competitive award criteria.
Grants could pay for new construction, renovations that add capacity, converting existing buildings into child care facilities, or one-time costs to use existing licensed capacity more fully. Priority would go to applicants in Georgia's CAPS child care subsidy program, the state Pre-K program, or those meeting criteria like serving rural counties, low reading-proficiency school districts, disability-inclusive care, or federal nutrition programs. Grant recipients must stay operational as licensed providers for at least five years or may have to repay the money, and the department can hold back up to 25 percent of program funds for administration and technical help.
### What it does
- Creates the Georgia Child Care Facilities Program, requiring the Department of Early Care and Learning to establish and run it by July 1, 2027.
- Directs the department to set competitive grant criteria that prioritize applicants in the CAPS subsidy program, Georgia's Pre-K Program, or rural and underserved areas.
- Allows grant funds to be used for new construction, renovation, retrofitting, or nonrecurring costs that increase licensed child care capacity.
- Requires grant recipients to remain a licensed child care provider for at least five years, with possible repayment if they do not, and requires a minimum five-year lease for those who do not own their facility.
- Lets the department set grant amounts based on project scope, regional costs, and licensing or safety needs, and reserve up to 25 percent of funds for administration and technical assistance.
### Who it affects
Child care learning centers and family child care learning homes licensed by the Department of Early Care and Learning, especially those in rural counties, would be eligible to apply. The department itself takes on new administrative duties, and families relying on child care and Pre-K in underserved areas could see more available slots.
### Why it matters
If enacted, providers in rural or low-income areas could get state money to build or expand facilities, potentially increasing the supply of licensed child care and preschool slots. Recipients would face a five-year operating commitment, and actual funding depends on future state budget appropriations.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 20-1A-19, creating the Georgia Child Care Facilities Program, which the department must establish and administer by July 1, 2027.
- Defines 'rural county' as one with a population under 50,000 per the 2020 census or future censuses.
- Sets competitive grant criteria prioritizing participation in CAPS or Pre-K, or meeting two or more factors such as rural location, low third-grade ELA proficiency, disability-inclusive care, or federal nutrition program participation.
- Limits use of grant funds to construction, renovation/retrofitting for increased capacity, converting facilities for child care use, or nonrecurring capacity-boosting costs, subject to legislative appropriations.
- Requires a five-year operating contract as a licensed provider, with possible repayment of grant funds if that condition is broken, and a five-year minimum lease for non-owner applicants.
- Authorizes the department to reserve up to 25 percent of program funds each fiscal year for administrative and technical assistance costs.
- Directs the department to publish application procedures and grant criteria online and to issue implementing rules and regulations.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-24)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-25)
- Sponsors: Chuck Payne, Jason Anavitarte, Sonya Halpern, Tonya Anderson, Billy Hickman, Randy Robertson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73539
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb554.md?full=1