Local Politicians Join Forces With Junior League of Douglas County for GA Pre-K Week

Douglasville, GA, (09/30/2013-10/04/2013) — The Junior League of Douglas County had great support from the community this week, sitting alongside groups of 4-year-olds, reading from a favorite children’s book as part of Georgia’s Pre-K Week.  Around the state, attention was turned to the tens of thousands of Georgia’s youngest children in celebration of the important work they are doing to prepare for school success.

September 30-October 4 is Georgia’s official Pre-K Week, hosted by Voices for Georgia’s Children (www.georgiavoices.org) and its Pre-K Week partners. Solicitor General:  Matthew Krull, State Representative:  Kimberly Alexander, District 3 Commissioner:  Mike Mulcare, District 4 Commissioner:  Ann Jones Guider, and Commissioner:  Clyde Reese were all part of nearly 150 officials who visited approximately 3,800 Pre-K classrooms located in all 159 counties statewide.  The Junior League of Douglas County would like to express its gratitude for their support in reaching out to the children in Douglas County for this amazing event.

We were also excited to have the local business community and school district get involved with this event.  The following list of people also read in support of the Junior League of Douglas County.  Our community came together this week to make a difference and we thank everyone from the bottom of our heart!

Julia Areh, Georgia Highlands College

Kali Boatright, CEO & President of the Douglas County Chamber

Lori Bomar, Atlanta’s Finest Catering owner & featured on TLC’s Catering Wars

Diane Daniels, Douglas County Chamber Board Member

Dr. Sam Haskell, Douglas County School Board Member

Janet Kelley, School Board Chairwoman

Christy Moore, West Georgia Technical College

Dr. Gordon Pritz, Superintendent of Douglas County School System

John Sells, Douglas County Chamber Member

Karmen Thorton, American Red Cross

"Georgia's Pre-K program is an exceptional program that can serve as a model for our country," said Pat Willis, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia's Children, a child advocacy organization. "About 84,000 four year olds in Georgia benefit from this remarkable program, a milestone in the critical phase of education that takes place from birth to age 8."

Joining Voices for Georgia’s Children as partners on Georgia Pre-K Week are Black Child Development Institute Atlanta (http://bcdi-atl.org), Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy (www.ferstfoundation.org), Georgia Association for Young Children (www.gayconline.org), Georgia Child Care Association (www.georgiachildcare.org), Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (www.geears.org), Georgia Family Connection Partnership (www.gafcp.org), Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (www.gpee.org), Georgia Public Library Service (www.georgialibraries.org), JumpStart(www.jstart.org),  Junior Leagues of Georgia - SPAC (gajlspac.org), Quality Care for Children (www.qualitycareforchildren.org), United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta (www.unitedwayatlanta.org) and YMCA(www.ymcaatlanta.org).

About Voices for Georgia’s Children

Established in 2003, Voices for Georgia’s Children (www.georgiavoices.org) is a nonprofit child policy and advocacy organization that envisions a Georgia where children are safe, healthy, educated, employable, and connected to their family and community. Our mission to be a powerful, unifying voice for a public agenda that ensures the well-being of all of Georgia’s children.

About “Pete the Cat”

Voices for Georgia’s Children is proud to have “Pete the Cat” as the honorary mascot for Pre-K Week.  “Pete the Cat” (www.petethecat.com) is the creation of Georgia artist James Dean who illustrated the book, Pete the Cat And His Four Groovy Buttons, written by Georgia children’s author Eric Litwin.  Through the generosity of Dean, Litwin, HarperCollins Publishers, Voices for Georgia’s Children was able to provide copies of Pete the Cat And His Four Groovy Buttons to all legislators for their use in reading to Pre-K students across the state. 

About Junior Leagues of Georgia, State Public Affairs Committee

The Junior Leagues of Georgia, State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) is the advocacy arm of the twelve Junior Leagues of Georgia. SPAC monitors state and federal legislation, and addresses important advocacy issues based on member League’s projects and efforts. SPAC has weighed in on various topics and has provided support to programs that benefit women and children across the state of Georgia.  A s a collective voice SPAC represents over 10,000 women on issues concerning Education, Health, and Welfare to inspire change in Georgia’s communities.