What Is PAACT?
Who We Are
Convened by GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, PAACT: Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive is a city-wide alliance of public and private partners collaborating to improve learning, health, and well-being outcomes for Atlanta's youngest children and their families.
Our Vision
Families in the City of Atlanta have what they need to ensure that all children starting at birth are healthy, learning and developing so that they enter school ready for success, thrive once in school, and are prepared to reach their full potential as residents of our city.
Our Origin
PAACT was born from a leadership council convened by GEEARS in 2018. The Atlanta Early Education Leadership Council (AEELC) consisted of leaders from both public and private sectors including local government, state agencies, business, faith, health, philanthropic, and early education communities. By bringing this group together we developed a shared vision, bold yet actionable strategies, and the funding and citywide commitment needed to sustain this work to ensure that all children in Atlanta have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Click here to view the official PAACT Launch Report.
PAACT is committed to ensuring all young children and their families in Atlanta will be: 
Learning and Ready to Succeed
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Children are in affordable, high-quality early care and learning environments that offer nurturing and responsive care in safe settings, so they enter school ready for success.
Healthy
Children are healthy at birth and have access to resources and services that support their optimal wellbeing.
Supported Equitably
Parents and caregivers raising young children have equal access to a system of supports that strengthen their quality of living and reduce the impact of economic and social inequities.
Our Mission:
We're on a mission to improve outcomes for children ages 0-to-5 years old in Atlanta by developing partnerships to secure commitments from Atlanta's leaders in government, education institutions, community, and business sector.
Our Role
In an era of inequity and at a time where we invest the least during the age at which a child develops the most, our goal is to ensure that a child’s zip code does not determine their life outcome.
Facilitate Collaboration: Convene and facilitate collaboration among Atlanta’s government, education, nonprofit and business sector to provide effective support for young children and families.
Raise and Align Funding: Raise and align funding to build on and expand identified best practices and programs that provide high-quality early learning and encourage healthy development.
Build Public Will and Advocate: Build public will by increasing awareness of the importance of early learning education and advocate for equitable policies to champion the importance of the early years.
Stephanie Blank, GEEARS, Board Chair
Adam Harrell, NEBO Agency, Co-Founder
Robyn Wallace, Local Green Atlanta, Owner
Margaret A. Stagmeier, TriStar Real Estate
Dr. Lisa Herring, Atlanta Public Schools, Superintendent
Eshe’ Collins, Atlanta Public Schools Board, Vice Chair
Amy Jacobs, Department of Early Care and Learning, Commissioner
Donna Davidson, Easter Seals North Georgia, CEO
Dr. Ryan James, Atlanta Speech School, Director
Cerrice Dawson, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Senior Director of Early Learning
Chris Demko, Southern Company Services, Associate General Counsel
Rashida Winfrey, JP Morgan Chase & Co., VP Atlanta Minority Entrepreneurs
Doug Shipman, Atlanta City Council, Council President
Lauren Koontz, YMCA of Metro Atlanta, CEO and President
Blythe Robinson, Sheltering Arms, CEO and President
Kenneth Saffold, Blackrock Capital Investment Corp., Director
Qaadirah Abdur-Rahim, Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) , Chief Equity Officer & Executive Director
Janean Lewis, One Atlanta, Senior Director, Youth Engagement
Michele Hill, KIDazzle Child Care and Learning Center, Inc., President
Akilah Saffold, Community Volunteer
Kate Kennedy, Community Volunteer
Advisory Board Members
Partners
The PAACT collaborative is a partnership of nonprofits, government agencies, and other organizations that share a vision of improving outcomes for young children ages birth through five. PAACT achieves and sustains success through a collective impact structure. 
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