| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 112 3305 |
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| 2 | 2 | | Senate Resolution 369 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Senators Payne of the 54th and Hickman of the 4th |
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| 4 | 4 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 5 | 5 | | Recognizing October 6-10, 2025, as Georgia Pre-K Week; and for other purposes. |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program was started by Governor Zell Miller in 1992 as a pilot2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | program serving 750 students and now provides quality early education experiences to more3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | than half of the state's four-year-old children; and4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program has been formally administered statewide by the5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning since 2004; and6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has appropriated more than $9 billion for the7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | Georgia Pre-K Program, preparing more than 2.2 million Georgia children for success in8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | kindergarten and beyond since its inception; and9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, findings from the longitudinal study on Georgia's Pre-K conducted by the Frank10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | Porter Graham Child Development Institute show that children in Georgia's Pre-K11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | demonstrate significant gains across all learning domains, and these gains are sustained12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | through the end of fourth grade; and13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | S. R. 369 |
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| 20 | 20 | | - 1 - 25 LC 112 3305 |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, multiple studies of Pre-K programs, including Georgia's Pre-K, show that |
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| 22 | 22 | | 14 |
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| 23 | 23 | | participation in Pre-K can greatly improve school readiness skills, particularly for high-risk15 |
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| 24 | 24 | | populations; and16 |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program has recognized two outstanding educators—one from17 |
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| 26 | 26 | | a public school system and one from a private child care center—as Georgia's Pre-K Program18 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Teachers of the Year for 2024-2025: Elizabeth Arthur from Lincoln County Elementary in19 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Lincolnton and Rachel Robertson from Oconee Preschool Academy in Watkinsville; and20 |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, Georgia's Pre-K Program is ranked ninth best in the nation for access to Pre-K21 |
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| 30 | 30 | | for four-year-olds; and22 |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, there is a growing commitment to improving the quality of child care in23 |
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| 32 | 32 | | Georgia, with more than half of Georgia's Pre-K programs participating in Quality Rated, the24 |
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| 33 | 33 | | voluntary quality improvement system for child care programs; and25 |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, the House Working Group on Early Childhood Education was appointed during26 |
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| 35 | 35 | | the 2023 Legislative Session to determine ways in which the system of Pre-K education in27 |
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| 36 | 36 | | Georgia could be improved; and28 |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, the working group's recommendations include specific areas in need of change29 |
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| 38 | 38 | | to make the Pre-K program more accessible and effective, such as restoring class sizes to 2030 |
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| 39 | 39 | | students, increasing salaries for assistant teachers, providing pay parity between Pre-K and31 |
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| 40 | 40 | | K-12 teachers, increasing operating funds for Pre-K programs, counting Pre-K enrollment32 |
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| 41 | 41 | | in entitlement earnings for public school systems, and ensuring equivalent lease payments33 |
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| 42 | 42 | | for private Pre-K providers; and34 |
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| 43 | 43 | | S. R. 369 |
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| 44 | 44 | | - 2 - 25 LC 112 3305 |
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| 45 | 45 | | WHEREAS, Georgia Pre-K programs serve more than 73,000 children annually in |
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| 46 | 46 | | 35 |
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| 47 | 47 | | approximately 3,700 classrooms operating in all 159 counties in Georgia; and36 |
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| 48 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Voices for Georgia's Children and the Georgia Department of Early Care and37 |
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| 49 | 49 | | Learning will host Georgia Pre-K Week for the 15th consecutive year during the first full38 |
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| 50 | 50 | | week of October.39 |
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| 51 | 51 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body40 |
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| 52 | 52 | | recognize October 6-10, 2025, as Georgia Pre-K Week; thank the hundreds of programs,41 |
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| 53 | 53 | | teachers, aides, and staff who have built a nationally recognized Pre-K program and other42 |
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| 54 | 54 | | high-quality early education programs; and encourage parents, educators, community43 |
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| 55 | 55 | | members, and business leaders to participate in Georgia Pre-K Week and support44 |
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| 56 | 56 | | high-quality, accessible, and affordable early education for all children in the great State of45 |
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| 57 | 57 | | Georgia.46 |
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| 58 | 58 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed47 |
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| 59 | 59 | | to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Voices for48 |
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| 60 | 60 | | Georgia's Children.49 |
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| 61 | 61 | | S. R. 369 |
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| 62 | 62 | | - 3 - |
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