Latest from Securing Atlanta’s Future
Georgia Early Literacy Acts already gaining traction
The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy (Rollins) is partnering with state, regional and local agencies, districts, schools, businesses, and nonprofits to advance universal literacy from the 3rd trimester of pregnancy when auditory channels are forming through early learning, literacy, and building the foundations for deep reading brain construction. These partnerships expand on Rollins’ work…
900,000 fewer kids enrolled in college since the pandemic; direct intervention is essential
By: Taylor Ramsey, Executive Director, OneGoal Metro Atlanta Last month, OneGoal Metro Atlanta hosted our third annual Student Summit at Clayton State University where 600 OneGoal juniors and seniors from across the metro area came together for a day of inspiration, connection and empowerment as they pursue their postsecondary goals. During the event, students explored…
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Atlanta is currently experiencing a period of incredible growth and transformation. During this time, it is imperative that we remain committed to caring for our most vulnerable citizens, children. Creating and sustaining an environment where children thrive means actively working to support all aspects of their healthy development. Organizations like GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, YWCA, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, Atlanta Speech School and Learn4Life are dedicated to promoting and investing in programs that provide high-quality early learning, wrap-around supports for children and their families, and community engagement that facilitates the strengthening of Atlanta’s communities, thus securing a successful future for all. Join us weekly as we examine some of the most pressing issues children and families face. We’ll explore potential solutions and discuss steps we are currently taking to address these obstacles
More on Securing Atlanta’s Future
Sine Die Brought Big News for Georgia Families with Young Children
In the wee hours of Friday, March 29th, GEEARS’ Executive Director Mindy Binderman emailed the GEEARS board and staff. The subject line: “We DID it!!!!!” What did Mindy mean with this jubilant message? That the dogged advocacy of the GEEARS staff, along with that of our partners, resulted in some major 11th-hour wins for Georgia’s…
$1M to Support Safe Spaces for Atlanta Teens at Boys & Girls Clubs
By David Jernigan, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta I could open this story with a series of devastating headlines about teens in Metro Atlanta. However, instead of focusing on their shadows, I’d prefer to take this opportunity to project their light. “A masterpiece in the making is a perfect phrase…
YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Georgia Women’s Policy Institute Ensures a Seat at the Table for Women
YWCA Greater Atlanta is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The association has four core programs that have been curated to ensure positive change for women and their families in the Atlanta community. One of these programs is YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Georgia Women’s Policy…
The Choreography of Strolling Thunder: A Balance of Challenges and Joys
By GEEARS It was almost one pm on February 22nd and GEEARS’ seventh annual Strolling Thunder at the Georgia Freight Depot was trickling to its end. The trash bins were full of chocolate milk cartons, spent Bingo cards, and crumpled maps of the Georgia Capitol. The babies and young children who’d come to help their…
Unprecedented Milestone: Georgia-Grown online Cox Campus receives International Accreditation
The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy’s Cox Campus has been awarded accreditation from the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), for the Cox Campus Structured Literacy Certificate Program. This unprecedented milestone makes Cox Campus the only free, nationally accredited Structured Literacy program for educators. IDA is the gold standard educator training in Structured Literacy. Cox Campus is already…
Atlanta nonprofits lead the way in supporting children’s literacy development
By Dr. Rebecca Parshall Metro Atlanta’s literacy crisis is real: just 41% of 3rd graders scored proficient on last year’s English Language Arts exam. Fortunately, solutions are also real and underway. A large body of research in ‘the science of reading’ shows how to build young readers, and it’s everyone’s responsibility. Over the last few…
Young Children with Disabilities—How to Support them and their Families with Services, Inclusion, Empathy, and More
Recently, Stormey Cone, the Family Engagement and Community Outreach Specialist at Georgia Mobile Audiology, got a call from a mother who could not, no matter what she did, get her baby daughter’s hearing aid in. So, Cone did what she always does. She drove to the home of a family who were simultaneously navigating the…
My Pleasure! Chick-fil-A Donates $1M to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta to Amplify Cultural Excellence & Innovation In Staff Onboarding Experience
By David Jernigan, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta Many companies have tried, but few have truly uncovered Chick-fil-A’s secret sauce that blends personable and professional to deliver delectable customer service that is consistent at scale. And if for-profits haven’t perfected it, how then can nonprofits leverage the success of Chick-fil-A…
Collaboration in Action: The Campaign to Revitalize the Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA
YWCA of Greater Atlanta has teamed up with key collaborators, including CHRIS 180, Families First, Morehouse School of Medicine,YMCA of Metro Atlanta, and the Westside Future Fund, following focus groups with Westside women to address their specific needs, and community leaders and funders. After more than seven years of planning, YWCA of Greater Atlanta has…
The Stark Numbers of GEEARS’ New Parent Poll: Many Georgia Families Need Support and They Need It Now
By GEEARS In November, GEEARS commissioned a poll of 400 Georgia parents with children ages birth to five. The results were striking. In the last year, according to our pollster, Hart Research Associates, eight in 10 of our respondents reported “having had difficulty affording at least one key necessity for their family, including food (which…
Bright Spots serve as proof points for the power of collective impact
By Tenicia Winston Cross-sector partners from throughout the region gathered at the Metro Atlanta Chamber for the seventh annual ‘State of Education in Metro Atlanta,’ presented by Learn4Life (L4L). While this year’s annual report shows that far too many students across metro Atlanta are struggling, ‘Bright Spots’ in our community prove that with the right…
Stronger Together: The GEEARS Community is Galvanized for 2024
On Friday, December 1st, the Child Care Advocacy Task Force of the Georgia Infant-Toddler Coalition gathered 35 impassioned early childhood advocates from all over the state. (When you watch seven Savannahians spill out of a single van after a wee-hours departure, you know they’re committed!) In a most-of-the-day meeting, these Coalition members connected, strategized for…
The Best of Humanity: Metro Atlanta’s Youth of the Year
By David Jernigan, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta At a time when the world seems to be falling apart, when mass shootings are on the rise, when war is taking hold in both Ukraine and the Middle East, and when hatred seems to be on full display, I needed…
A Fun Gathering, a Fabulous Headliner, and Support For GEEARS: The Top Reasons You Want to Come to GEEARS’ Annual Luncheon
This year, GEEARS’ Annual Luncheon happens, appropriately enough, on Giving Tuesday, November 28th, at the Whitley Hotel. While the event is a fundraiser for us, we like to think the giving goes both ways! Three Reasons to Buy Your Annual Luncheon Tickets Today This mid-day soiree is famously fun. There’ll be, of course, a delicious…
Navigating ‘divisive concepts’ is tricky – this toolkit can help
By: Damian Ramsey, MSW Picture this scenario: A student asks their teacher, “Which party do you believe upholds the most democratic principles, Democrats or Republicans?” How should the teacher answer? Imagine another student tells their teacher, “I dislike that you said people don’t vote because it’s dangerous. That’s your personal opinion, and it’s fear mongering…
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