SR 977: Georgia Pre-K Week; recognize October 5-9, 2026

Senate Resolution 977

By: Senators Payne of the 54th, Hickman of the 4th, Parent of the 44th, Kemp of the 38th, Sims of the 12th 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 SENATE 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 Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Voices for Georgia's Children.