City, Atlanta Public Schools give millions towards early childhood education

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The city of Atlanta, Atlanta Public Schools, and several other organizations are putting millions of dollars into early childhood education programs.

“That basic foundational system in the first years of a child’s life is created by whatever they experience and whatever they don’t experience,” said a representative of Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students.

Altogether, $20 million is going towards things like scholarships for students and bonuses for teachers.

“Studies show early investments in education can significantly increase earnings all the way into adulthood,” said Mayor Andre Dickens.

The investment isn’t just into education, it’s also into the city’s economy.

“Due to childcare challenges, Georgia’s economy loses $1.75 billion annually. Well, with investments like this, families can go to work, and their kids can be at high-quality early learning programs that build their brain development and help them succeed,” said Mindy Binderman, the executive director of GEAR.

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