Voices for Georgia's Children

A huge shout out to Bobbi Cleveland & Stan Jones! Thank you for being a Friend of Voices sponsor for the 2024 Big Voice for Children Awards!

Learn more about Big Voice and how you can take part in the celebration: https://www.georgiavoices.org/big-voice-for-children-awards

It has been a blast seeing your student and community engagement all across the state during the Summer Transition Program photo contest! We are excited to announce that our TWO winners for 2024 are Little Ones Learning Center (Forest Park) and Hand in Hand Primary School (Thomasville)! Your submissions were chosen at random to win a package of new books for your classroom! Look out for an email from our team to coordinate delivery of your prize.

🌟 Exciting News for WIC Participants! 🌟
It’s easier than ever to shop at WIC farmers markets!
Just swipe your eWIC card at the market to purchase fresh, healthy produce for you and your family. It’s that simple!

🌟 Noticias emocionantes para las participantes de WIC 🌟
¡Es más fácil que nunca comprar en los mercados de agricultores de WIC!
Simplemente pase su tarjeta eWIC en el mercado para comprar productos frescos y saludables para usted y su familia. ¡Es así de simple!

🌽🍎 Exciting News for WIC Participants! 🍎🌽

We’re thrilled to share the news that this season, your farmers market may be transitioning from paper vouchers to cards! Just swipe your card to get fresh, nutritious produce for your family!

🌽🍎 Noticias emocionantes para las participantes de WIC!🍎🌽

¡Estamos encantados de compartir la noticia de que esta temporada, su mercado de agricultores WIC puede estar pasando de vales impresos a tarjetas eWIC! ¡Simplemente pase su tarjeta para obtener productos frescos y nutritivos para su familia!

“You must never, ever give out. We must keep the faith because we are one people; we are brothers and sisters. We all live in the same house: the American house.” -Rep. John Lewis, Georgia Politician & Civil Rights Activist

Today we celebrate Juneteenth - a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery after the Civil War.

Voices’ offices are closed to give our staff an opportunity to celebrate and reflect. We will resume normal operations tomorrow.

is here! The 5-week Rising Kindergarten and Rising Pre-K programs seek to reduce the achievement gap by prioritizing parent engagement, having low student-staff ratios, & actively seeking out dual-language learners.

Kick off your summer with our photo contest! Take a photo that
shows the learning happening at your Summer Transition Program and post it on social media using the hashtag for a chance to win a special prize package for your site!

The contest closes at midnight on Friday, July 26th. The winner will be selected randomly.

We love seeing the learning happening in the Summer Transition Programs across the state! Students are learning skills and building confidence before they enter Kindergarten in the fall!

To learn more about Summer Transition and the impact it has in Georgia, visit our website at

Summer Transition Spotlight - Georgia PreK Week | Georgia Voices The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning hosts two weeks long programs in the summer to prepare pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners for school.

We're excited to get an inside look at the new Think Make Create (TMC) Labs that is delivering around the state! These are unique mobile makerspace labs that allows students to take part in hand-on learning!

Congratulations to Kelcie Silvio (one of our Senior Policy Analysts)! Today she graduated from the Georgia 2Gen Academy!

Kelcie spent the past year researching how to better connect families receiving home visiting services to critical community resources like food, transportation, and housing. 2Gen approaches help disrupt generational cycles of poverty and poor outcomes by taking the whole family into account.

At home, YOU are the lifeguard! In Georgia, drowning ranks as the 8th leading cause of unintentional death for children aged 1-17. Instead of thinking about being a “water watcher,” think about “touch supervision.” Swipe left for water safety tips from .

A true Georgian through and through, Melissa is deeply committed to driving positive change in her home state. Her belief in the transformative power of policy work fuels her passion for making a difference. At Voices, Melissa serves as the leader of our policy analyst team, spearheading various projects aimed at assessing and enhancing child health and well-being across Georgia. Since joining the team in 2018, she has played a pivotal role in identifying obstacles and opportunities to improve outcomes for children, while advocating for and implementing policy solutions.

Drawing from her own life experiences, she brings a unique perspective to her work, often identifying innovative policies and programs that could benefit Georgians. Following the birth of her daughter, Melissa resided in the Netherlands, where she witnessed firsthand the robust supports provided to new mothers through the healthcare system. This included home visiting nurses who offered crucial support and guidance to all new moms and babies for several weeks postpartum.

Meet Melissa at www.georgiavoices.org/voices-team

This we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to our country and to their families.

Suzanne’s love of stories has been a guiding force throughout her life. From childhood nights spent reading under the covers to a career in communications, storytelling has remained her passion.

At Voices, Suzanne plays a crucial role in developing communications to raise awareness of our research, enhance organizational branding, and drive engagement on social media platforms. (Although she finds it odd to write this bio in 3rd person!) Prior to joining Voices, Suzanne led the communications department for one of the state’s largest school districts. It was there that she recognized the need for change and sought opportunities to directly impact the quality of life for children and families statewide.

Meet Suzanne at www.georgiavoices.org/voices-team.

Driven by a fervent commitment to reducing health disparities, Brittney is dedicated to studying policy solutions that can have a broad and meaningful impact, particularly on vulnerable populations. Her current focus lies in understanding the effects of trauma on families and communities.

Brittney became a valuable member of the Voices team in March 2019, bringing her expertise to bear on our research and data analysis efforts. In this role, she plays a key part in informing our advocacy initiatives and supporting our policy agenda.

Meet Brittney at www.georgiavoices.org/voices-team

Excited to be with today at 's annual Georgia Mental Health Forum. Together, we're exploring innovative ways to involve youth in research, paving the way for impactful black youth mental health programs tailored to today's needs.

Comprehensive mental health services are most effective when delivered through a multitiered system of supports (MTSS). MTSS encompasses the full spectrum of needs, allowing schools to prioritize mental wellness for all students. By identifying and addressing issues before they escalate, MTSS provides increasingly tailored, data-driven services to meet individual student needs. Let's prioritize mental health in our schools to support the well-being of every student.

🌟 Today is Children's Mental Health Day at the Capitol! 🧠 Join us at the Freight Depot this morning as we come together to share stories, explore solutions, and raise awareness about children and youth mental health in Georgia. Together we can create a bright and more supportive future for our young people. See you there!

By fostering protective factors at multiple levels, we can help create a supportive and resilient environment that promotes mental well-being and reduces the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. It's essential to address the broader social determinants of mental health and su***de risk while also providing targeted interventions and support to individuals in need. Swipe left to see the numerous protective factors that can help buffer individuals from suicidal thoughts and behaviors.