Page 84

84 | P a g e FFY 2025–2027 CCDF State Plan

The Infant and Toddler Program works with child care providers to emphasize that quality infant care is centered on relationships. Young children learn and grow in the context of secure, trusting relationships with caring adults. All supports and recommendations offered by our Infant Toddler Care Specialists help providers understand and practice a model of relationship-based care that is respectful and responsive to each child’s individual needs. SEEDS Specialists provide a variety of resources, strategies and supports to programs, classrooms, and the community. The SEEDS specialists provide support through training, technical assistance and coaching to classroom teachers, program administrators, and family child care providers. The focus in on strategies to improve classroom management and climate, address challenging behavior and scaffold learning. In addition, with the assistance of the child care supply and demand data tool and new technology not available in years past, the Lead Agency is currently working on a strategy to more accurately target underserved geographic areas for infants and toddlers to create policies that will increase supply where needed. This strategy involves using data to define the term underserved as it relates to Georgia's early childhood and education system. Once the term underserved is defined, it can be measured and quantified to enable the Lead Agency to more accurately define an underserved geographic area and the degree by which an area is underserved for infants and toddlers. This strategy will assist the Lead Agency with any necessary supply building necessary for infants and toddlers. c. Children with disabilities. Describe: The Lead Agency has an internal research team that works closely with Lead Agency programs to consistently evaluate administrative data and public data to identify service gaps related to children with disabilities. The Lead Agency is using multiple programmatic strategies to improve the quality of licensed child care for children with disabilities. The Lead Agency has a quality rating and improvement system, Quality Rated, that is intended to improve the quality of child care and includes technical assistance from regional child care resource and referral agencies. 62 percent of all licensed child care providers are rated in Quality Rated. Also, Child Care and Parent Services (CAPS) providers must be rated to participate in the child care subsidy program. Currently, 7percent of children served by CAPS are children with disabilities and 71 percent of those children are in care at a high quality (Quality Rated 2- or 3-star) program. The CAPS program also pays the full published rate for children with disabilities and the program has a review process in place to allow providers serving children with extremely high needs to ask for a rate above their published rate. Additionally, technical assistance for improving quality is available through the Lead Agency's Infant and Toddler and SEEDS programs. The Infant and Toddler Program works with child care providers to emphasize that quality infant care is centered on relationships. Young children learn and grow in the context of secure, trusting relationships with caring adults. All supports and recommendations offered by our Infant Toddler Care Specialists help providers understand and practice a model of relationship-based care that is respectful and responsive to each child’s individual needs. SEEDS specialists support programs to adapt and modify learning environments and instruction to accommodate children with disabilities. To request training or coaching, early learning professionals or families can contact the SEEDS helpline. The SEEDS helpline provides resources and schedules training and coaching sessions. The specialists also work to promote and increase quality child care options for children with disabilities and their families in their communities.

More specifically, the SEEDS Program, with 20 regionally based specialists, works with