Georgia's Head Start programs, aimed at preparing poor preschool children for education, lags the national averages in quality of instruction, but does better than average at providing emotional support, according to a national study.
And with nearly 30 percent of its Early Head Start teachers holding bachelor's degrees, and about 78 percent of Head Start teachers holding degrees, Georgia exceeds the national averages. Those percentages are despite the fact that degree holding Head Start teachers make tens of thousands of dollars less than their counterparts in public schools.
Georgia is also in the top ten in state funding of preschool programs.
The National Institute for Early Education Research’s
State(s) of Head Start report is the first to describe and analyze in detail Head Start enrollment, funding, quality, and duration, state by state.
Getting poor kids exposed to learning, reading and other important developmental regimens is key to their success and pays off over time in better employment and reduced bad activities, such as dropping out and crime, a Nobel prize winning economist. Each dollar invested in early education can pay off in a seven to 10 percent annual return on investment.
About the Author
Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia's $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.
