West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) is pleased to announce that Joyce Freeman, Program Chair and Instructor of Early Childhood Care & Education, has been appointed to serve on the Georgia Board of Early Care and Learning. Freeman will represent the Third Congressional District helping make decisions to meet the childcare and early education needs of children and families across the state.
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, also known as Bright from the Start, was established in 2004 and was among the first state agencies in the nation dedicated to meeting the childcare and education needs of young children and their families. The department is instrumental in implementing key educational needs in Georgia, including Georgia’s Pre-K program, licensing childcare centers, Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program, the federal nutrition program and more.
“I am very honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Georgia Board of Early Care and Learning and hope to use my knowledge and years of experience to help make positive decisions for the care and education of young children and families in Georgia,” said Freeman.
Freeman has been actively involved with Bright from the Start’s initiatives aimed at strengthening early childhood education in Georgia. She has contributed to Bright from the Start by serving on a workgroup writing team to revise workforce knowledge competencies for program administrators and education leaders. Freeman also works to arrange guest speakers to engage with WGTC early childhood students and has collaborated with DECAL’s Central West Region Early Education Community Partnership Coordinator, Bridgette Washington-Collier, to bring Connections Matter and Community Resilience trainings to WGTC campuses for students and industry partners.
“With this appointment, I hope to use my experience as an early childhood teacher, instructor and program director to make decisions that positively impact the holistic development of children, support for families, and the education and retention of childcare directors, caregivers, and teachers.”
Freeman will attend her first board meeting on November 21.
West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers more than 120 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is one of the largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit www.westgatech.edu.
