Children's Friend Inc. VP to Serve on Georgia Governor's Advisory Board

Online, June 13, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Children's Friend Pre-k Coordinator and Vice President, Tony Foskey was once again named by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. Mr. Foskey began service on the Advisory Council in 2009 and was once again named to the Council.

The Advisory Council is tasked with planning better coordinated systems, facilitating working relationships among essential community partners, and integrating the delivery of services to young children and families. To accomplish their mission, the Council will make recommendations regarding early learning standards and assessment; the improvement in oversight and monitoring of early learning programs; the development of a unified data collection system; and the improvement in training and strengthening early childhood caregivers.

The work of the Council parallels the initiatives outlined in President Obama's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge. "Awards in Race to the Top will go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive early learning education reform."

States applying for challenge grants will be encouraged to increase access to quality early learning programs for low income and disadvantaged children, design integrated and transparent systems that align their early care and education programs, bolster training and support for the early learning workforce, create robust evaluation systems to document and share effective practices and successful programs, and help parents make informed decisions about care for their children.

About Children's Friend Inc.
Children's Friend operates 39 child care centers and cares for more than 5,000 children in Georgia and North Carolina.