State early-learning official outlines capacity gains, warns subsidy gap remains

DECAL told the Senate Appropriations Education & Higher Education Subcommittee that Georgia’s licensed early‑learning capacity has grown modestly — roughly 6% over five years — even as the state’s childcare market has consolidated toward larger centers.

A DECAL representative said the state now has capacity for about 387,000 young children and that licensed childcare participation rises steadily with age: roughly 14% of infants, increasing through preschool, and about 85% of 4‑year‑olds enrolled in either licensed childcare or Georgia Pre‑K. Georgia Pre‑K served a little more than 68,000 students this school year; DECAL reported adding 138 new classes and reducing the waiting list to 3,310.

DECAL described CAPS, its childcare subsidy program, as serving roughly 51,000 children. The agency said the typical annual CAPS scholarship is about $7,500 per child, while the average cost of childcare in Georgia is about $10,000, leaving families responsible for the difference. DECAL said about 98% of children who receive CAPS are in quality‑rated programs and that about 2,900 programs have completed the state’s star quality rating process.

The agency also described smaller, targeted programs: a summer transition program that serves roughly 4,000 children in 395 classes, and two rising‑grade models intended to give children extra instructional time before or after the school year.

On funding, the DECAL representative said the agency is “heavily funded by the feds,” citing an approximate breakdown of 49% federal dollars, 45% state lottery funds and about 6.2% state general funds.

Committee members pressed DECAL on why family childcare homes are declining while larger centers expand; the agency said it had not conclusively identified one cause but noted COVID relief dollars had helped sustain capacity. DECAL agreed to provide the committee with more granular counts for providers who are quality rated but not participating in CAPS.

The DECAL representative closed by noting quality and affordability remain priorities and invited follow‑up questions and data requests from committee members.