Professional Family Child
Care Alliance of Georgia
The History of the PFCCAG
In September 2011, a group of current and former child care providers1 met and discussed the need for a new statewide organization, which would represent the family child care profession in Georgia. Family child care (now referred to as Family Child Care Learning Homes – FCCLH) is the preferred care of infants and toddlers in the United States. In 2011, there were more than 3,200 licensed family child care programs and large group homes across the state. Georgia needed a family child care association that would align with providers, serve as a resource for parents, and work with agency staff and child care regulators to improve the quality of care offered to children served in our family child care homes.
As a result of several discussions, the Professional Family Child Care Alliance of Georgia, Inc. was created and incorporated in November 2011 as a nonprofit corporation in Georgia. Professional Family Child Care Alliance of Georgia (PFCCAG) adopted a mission to improve the lives of children in Georgia by promoting professional, high quality family child care through the encouragement of training, education, and national accreditation.
A steering committee governed the first year. Volunteers were recruited, by-laws were adopted, goals were established, a logo was designed, a website was published, and the appropriate admin requirements were satisfied. This team of dedicated volunteer members developed and held a successful conference in May 2012. Membership grew to over 350 members in the first year (when membership was free). Formal elections were held in January 2013. Officers and a Board of Directors were installed in May 2013 during the 2nd statewide conference. The organization applied for our 501C3 from the IRS and received our approval letter in February 2014.
The Board of Directors continued to fine-tune the organizational structure and assessed the needs of it providers. PFCCAG held meetings and offered professional training sessions at the Southern Child Care Conference, Georgia Association of the Young Child, met with local associations, held new member ‘meet and greets,’ and offered community events to inform the Early Child Care Education (ECCE) community of its mission and charter. PFCCAG was regularly included in meetings with Bright from the Start: Department of Early Care and Learning (BFTS GA DECAL) that impacted family child care homes. In addition to others, invitations to participate also included: Georgia Child Care and Parent Services Task Force, Quality Rated (Georgia’s system to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early education and school‐age care programs), GA CAPS and the BUILD Initiative.
PFCCAG hosted two additional and highly successful statewide conferences in 2014 and 2016 (culminating in a total of 4) while offering DECAL-approved child care training credit hours to more than 400 GA Providers. PFCCAG also coordinated three Fall Festivals, gathering more than 600 providers and families for multi-cultural enrichment and family enjoyment in the metro-Atlanta area. In 2014, the GA Legislature passed HB401, which officially changed the name from “Family Day Care Homes” to “Family Child Care Learning Homes (FCCLH)” as a result of PFCCAG’s request through DECAL. PFCCAG’s leadership now meets quarterly with Commissioner Amy Jacobs and her senior leadership team to dialogue, collaborate and share the ECCE initiatives and perspective.
As “the VOICE of Family Child Care” in Georgia, PFCCAG continues to advocate on behalf of the FCCLH community of Providers as a respected and capable entity championing issues that involve the personal interests, collective successes, and financial sustainment of Family Child Care Leaning Homes across the state of Georgia.
The founding members include Sandy Byrd, Chris Cross-Holcomb, Vergil S Holcomb, Jr., Lynn Manfredi/Petitt, Julie Phillips, Sandra Ramsey and Patricia Sullivant.
Join PFCCA Today and help PFCCAG stand apart as the VOICE of Family Child Care in GA!