In an effort to increase access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers, Georgia recently expanded its use of Quality Rated Subsidy Grants to 6% of the state’s infant and toddler slots.
The QRSG initiative aims to:
- Improve access to high-quality early care and education programs for low-income families.
- Reimburse providers at a rate that supports the cost of high-quality care.
- Create a predictable and stable subsidy funding model for child care providers.
- Create an opportunity for closer relationships between child care providers and families.
Additionally, an innovative approach to enrollment is increasing the success of this program. Rather than having families enroll in subsidy and then select a program, programs are awarded slots and subsequently provide onsite enrollment in subsidy for eligible families. This process reserves slots in high-quality programs for low-income families and provides increased stability for participating child care programs. To maintain high-quality continuity of care for at-risk families, these programs must offer Georgia’s Pre-K program so children can enroll after the age of three.