Community Impact Grants

Community Impact Grants is sponsored by Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Invests in building thriving and resilient families through education and economic opportunity, focusing on families with children from birth to 8 years old.

DECAL Announces Three Community Impact Grant Opportunities DECAL Announces Three Community Impact Grant Opportunities The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) announced today three separate Community Impact Grant opportunities for community-based organizations across Georgia.

Funding will allow organizations to pilot and implement family-focused programs that promote economic security, support trauma-responsive care, and respond to local needs. DECAL will award the grants to local communities proposing projects that best help to ensure that families of Georgia’s children from birth to age 5 have access to high-quality early childhood care and education, as well as other services and programs.

Funding for the grants was made possible by the $11. 2 million Preschool Development Renewal Grant Georgia received in January 2020 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education.

“We look forward to utilizing this federal funding to supplement our ongoing efforts to increase access to high-quality care of all types for Georgia’s youngest learners and their families,” said DECAL Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs. “Through these grants, we’ll support communities in developing holistic strategies to improve family well-being in their areas.

” There are three opportunities Within the DECAL Community Impact grants for communities to apply for, and receive, significant funding to support tailored strategies: The 2Gen Innovation Grant focuses on building whole-family pathways to economic prosperity by aligning workforce training and postsecondary education opportunities with child care and other family supports.

The Trauma-Responsive Care Grant focuses on increasing community-wide awareness of trauma and creating a collective understanding of how early childhood trauma can impact future learning and development. The Community Transformation Grant focuses on developing community projects that promise to improve access to services and supports that meet the unique needs of children and families in under-resourced and rural communities.

Individual award amounts are expected to range between $10,000 and $75,000, depending on the type of grant. “These grants are a welcome addition to the collection of supports DECAL provides for children and families across the state,” said DECAL Deputy Commissioner for Quality Innovations and Partnerships Bentley Ponder.

“We’re pleased to provide an opportunity to create resources targeting the educational, financial, and emotional needs of underserved communities and populations. ” Individual grant information and applications will be posted on the DECAL website at by noon, Wednesday, Feb. 3.

DECAL will also host an informational webinar Friday, Feb. 5, at 2 p. m.

Register for the webinar. For questions about these applications, email communityimpactgrants@decal. ga.

gov . DECAL Communications Director GaFCP Communications Director Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia’s children and their families.

It administers the nationally recognized Georgia’s Pre-K Program, licenses child care centers and home-based child care, administers Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program, federal nutrition programs, and manages Quality Rated , Georgia’s community powered child care rating system.

The department also houses the Head Start State Collaboration Office, distributes federal funding to enhance the quality and availability of child care, and works collaboratively with Georgia child care resource and referral agencies and organizations throughout the state to enhance early care and education.