Nurture Georgia is a organizing program of New Georgia Project

Nurture Georgia

Nurture GA organizes Georgians in support of affordable, high-quality childcare for all Georgia families. Paying for childcare has become out of reach for too many Georgians, while childcare workers suffer, getting paid too little for the critical services they provide. Nurture GA aims to change this by supporting parents, who should not have to pick between quality and affordability, and the rights of Georgia’s childcare workers, who are historically undervalued in Georgia.

With questions and for more info, contact us at [email protected]

Affordable Quality Childcare

The Affordable Quality Childcare Campaign advocates for affordable childcare for parents, wage increases for childcare workers, and high-quality childcare for all children in Georgia. We organize childcare workers, centers, and families, and focus on the rights of childcare workers, which will increase the quality of care they provide, and on parents, who need our state to do more to make childcare more accessible. We also advocate for childcares to become members of Georgia’s Quality Rated System.

  • The average cost of childcare in Georgia per child is $8,530 per year or $711 per month. Infant care in Georgia costs $1,324 (18.4%) more per year than in-state tuition for a four-year public college.
  • The average hourly wage of a childcare worker in Georgia is just $11.48, which is unlivable in our state.
  • Of the 3,100 childcare learning centers and 1,500 family childcare learning homes in Georgia, 1,745 are not quality rated by the Department of Early Care & Learning.

When childcare workers get paid more and parents have more support to access affordable childcare options, everyone thrives—families, workers, childcare centers, and, of course, kids.

Demands

  • The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (D.E.C.A.L) allocates funds from Georgia's 2025 budget to a $2,000 cost-of-living adjustment for state-licensed childcare workers, matching what pre-k teachers and assistants received in 2023.

  • The D.E.C.A.L agency board expands the Childcare and Parent Services (C.A.P.S) eligibility salary limits, making more children and families eligible for the program.
  • Georgia’s 2025 budget includes an increased hourly pay schedule for state licensed childcare workers: $1 increase for all childcare workers with at least a CDA certification, $1.25 increase for all childcare workers with an associate degree in a related field, and a $1.50 increase for childcare workers with bachelor's degree in a related field.

Take Action

Support the Affordable Quality Childcare Campaign by signing our petition.