Closing Date: 7/05/2025

Intern Dates: August 2025 through December 2025

Pay Rate:  The Hourly pay rates are based on the following:

·         Current Undergraduate Student: $14.00

·         Current Graduate Student: $16.00

Positions Available: 1

Hours: Minimum of 20 hours per week – up to but not to exceed 29 hours per week. 

*Maximum of 29 hours per week cannot be exceeded.

Location: 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE. Suite 754 East Tower Atlanta, GA

Agency Overview

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is responsible for meeting the childcare and early education needs of Georgia’s children and their families. It administers the nationally recognized Georgia’s Pre-K Program, licenses childcare centers and home-based childcare, administers Georgia's Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program, federal nutrition programs, and manages Quality Rated, Georgia’s community powered childcare rating system.

The department also houses the Head Start State Collaboration Office, distributes federal funding to enhance the quality and availability of childcare, and works collaboratively with Georgia childcare resource and referral agencies and organizations throughout the state to enhance early care and education.

Position Overview

The Community Partnerships and 2Gen Outreach unit oversees initiatives, projects, and services that focus on community partnerships, 2Gen outreach initiatives, building resources and relationships with Georgia’s business community, and stakeholder engagement activities. Their goal is to offer supports and resources to local communities that best meet their needs and strengthen local early education systems. Interns will support outreach, events, and projects that strengthen these efforts. Some travel may be involved.

Duties may include:

• Assist with Event Planning and Outreach
• Help coordinate logistics for community events, forums, and meetings focused on early education.
• Support the preparation of materials and presentations for stakeholder engagement events.
• Attend virtual and in-person events to observe community coordination in action.
• Support Communication Efforts
• Assist in creating innovative strategies to share the stories, successes, and lessons learned from Community Impact Grantees—helping increase public awareness, stakeholder engagement, and replication of effective practices across Georgia.
• Draft and edit content for newsletters, social media, flyers, and outreach emails.
• Help create and distribute community-friendly materials to promote childcare resources and DECAL programs.
• Design engaging and visually impactful PowerPoint presentations to highlight community impact and outreach initiatives.
• Conduct Research and Data Collection

o    Apply classroom research skills to gather information and insights on community needs, early childhood best practices, and regional demographic trends that shape childcare solutions.

o    Identify and analyze programs across the state that provide childcare during evenings, weekends, or other nontraditional hours—helping inform future solutions for working families.

o    Research companies with on-site childcare or employee childcare benefits and help us spotlight models that can inspire businesses to better support parents in the workforce.

o    Explore ways that a Business Liaison Initiative can strengthen the early education system by highlighting the importance of high-quality early education in workforce; identify innovative and collaborative business partners who would be willing to coordinate to support local early education needs.

o    Research how other states are implementing two-generation (2Gen) approaches to support children and families and identify innovative practices that could inform or enhance Georgia’s efforts.

• Engage with Community Partners
• Attend Birth to Eight Leadership Meetings and Child Care Engagement Network Meetings with community coordinators to learn how state agencies collaborate with local stakeholder representatives from school systems, childcare programs, technical colleges, nonprofits, etc.
• Help maintain contact lists, track communication, and document follow-up needs.
• Administrative and Project Support
• Help organize project files, update internal tracking tools, and contribute to progress reports.
• Learn how to manage time, prioritize tasks, and work within a team environment.
• Shadow and Learn from Community Coordinators and other Team Members Across DECAL
• Shadow coordinators during meetings, trainings, and events to gain insight into early childhood system coordination.
• Participate in cross-training opportunities with other DECAL teams to broaden understanding of state programs.
• Apply Classroom Knowledge to Real-World Problems
• Use academic knowledge of early childhood education, public service, or communications to contribute ideas and solutions.
• Reflect on how state-level policies and community engagement strategies affect children and families.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the internship, the intern will be able to apply research, communication, and outreach strategies to support and strengthen community partnerships and two-generation (2Gen) initiatives. This includes investigating innovative practices in other states, developing engaging materials to highlight community impact, and contributing to the design of effective communication tools that promote family-centered supports across Georgia.

Interest Areas

Early Childhood Education, Community Engagement, Family and Community Services, Public Policy/ Public Administration, Two-Generation (2Gen) Approaches, Research and Data Analysis, Workforce Development, Strategic Communications, Human Services, Social Work

Entry Qualifications:

•       Currently enrolled student, part-time or full-time, with a 3.0 GPA or higher (must submit transcript to verify enrollment and GPA.

•       Georgia resident or attending a Georgia college, university, or law school

•       Working level skill in the use of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook)  Good research and analytical skills

Preferred Qualifications:

•       Advanced level skill in the use of Excel

•       Excellent business writing, organizational, and computer skills.

•       High level of skill in research and analysis with the ability to form conclusions and recommendations based on analysis

Physical Requirements and Performance Aptitudes: 

•       Requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading and visual inspection. 

•       Requires the ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data. Includes exercising discretion in determining data classification. 

•       Requires the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication.

•       Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is an equal opportunity employer.  A background check will be completed upon hire, which may consist of any of the following: criminal history, credit history, employment history, educational records, IRS records and driving records.

 If you are an individual with a disability who may require assistance or other reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the selection process for this position, you may contact our HR department at 678-879-2993.  Due to the volume of submissions received by this office, information concerning application or interview status cannot be provided in writing, over the phone, or in person. All applicants who submit a complete application package will be considered but may not necessarily receive notification or an interview.  The job posting may be subject to being closed at any time without notice.  Only those qualified candidates who are selected for an interview shall receive notification upon the filling of this vacancy.

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is an equal opportunity employer.