EdQuest Georgia
Overview
Policies should assist in creating supportive conditions in homes and communities for learning outside of school, and within schools through fostering positive school climate and social and emotional learning for students.
Many factors affect each student’s ability to succeed in school, and while some of those are directly related to academic instruction, others like the safety and health of the environments in which students learn grow are instrumental to student performance. Supportive learning environments are those that provide safe and healthy spaces in which individuals respond to the needs of students that can otherwise create obstacles to learning.
Benchmarks
A ranking of child well-being across the United States is compiled by the KIDS COUNT Data Center through the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This ranking uses an index of key indicators in four domains to capture what children need most to thrive: (1) Economic Well-Being, (2) Education, (3) Health and (4) Family and Community.
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2017, June). 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book - State Trends in Child Well-Being. Retrieved from 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book: www.aecf.org/resources/2017-kids-count-data-book
Overall KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Ranking, United States
Georgia ranks 42nd overall. The top ranked states in the U.S. are 1) New Hampshire, 2) Massachusetts, 3) Vermont, 4) Minnesota and 5) Iowa.
Overall KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Ranking, Georgia and Neighboring States
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2017, June). 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book - State Trends in Child Well-Being. Retrieved from 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book: www.aecf.org/resources/2017-kids-count-data-book
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2017, June). 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book - State Trends in Child Health. Retrieved from 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book: www.aecf.org/resources/2017-kids-count-data-book
Overall KIDS COUNT Child Health Ranking, Georgia and Neighboring States
Resources
Supportive Learning Environments Resources
- New! (Dec. 2017) Georgia Commission on Children’s Mental Health Recommendations
- Ascend: Two Generational Approach
- DFCS (Georgia Division of Family and Children Services)
- GEEARS (Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students)
Supportive Learning Environments Resources
- GFBA (Georgia Food Bank Association)
- GSAN (Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network)
- KIDS COUNT Data Center
Supportive Learning Environments Resources
- PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)
- Summer Food Service Program
- USDA (US Department of Agriculture)
Opportunities
Keep moving forward;
strong policies in place:
GaDOE’s School Climate Rating system and PBIS program provide strong, ongoing supports for students.
Governor Deal’s Childhood Obesity Initiative, Georgia Shape, continues to make statewide progress in improving the physical health and nutritional wellness of children from birth to age 18.
Proceed with caution;
policies need some work:
Governor Nathan Deal’s commission on children’s Mental Health is a positive step in planning further supports for vulnerable, underserved children.
Health supports should be expanded and made accessible for all Georgia students in the areas of physical health and mental health and through expanding programs like telemedicine in conjunction with school-based health centers.
Georgia should increase support for out-of-school time programs.
Alert! Policy missing
or needs immediate attention:
Supports for homeless and foster youth must be strengthened.
Georgia must take steps to increase the mental health workforce.