By Yvette T. Dupree, Ph.D., Operations Consultant and Volunteer for Internal Operations Council, The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. Literacy starts before a child meets their first teacher. This is why talking, reading and singing with young children at home is crucial; it forms the connections in their brains that help build literacy skills (American Academy […]

By Blythe Keeler Robinson, President and CEO, Sheltering Arms In high school I had to read “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. It begins with a memorable first sentence that captures the current state of affairs in our country, our state and more specifically, our city, as we grapple with a global pandemic […]

By Katie Landes, Director, Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network  &  Mindy Binderman, Executive Director, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students  Imagine facing the day with a grumbling belly and an empty refrigerator. And imagine if you’re a young child, missing your teachers and friends while struggling to focus on a computer screen.  That is the situation facing many children in Atlanta right now, as bureaucratic barriers have made the delivery of food […]

Featured Image: CIS of Atlanta Site Coordinator Toriano Parker works closely with students at Creekside High School in Fulton County to support their academic journey and to thrive in spite of the pandemic. By Dorothy Styles In times of natural disasters, we rely on organizations like FEMA or the Red Cross to respond to emergencies […]

By LeKeisha D. Jackson, Ph.D., Peachtree Papers Editor, The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. Service remains at the heart of The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. (JLA) amid these unprecedented circumstances. As the world experiences the pandemic’s strain on the public’s health and healthcare systems, JLA sought to fill the gap through supporting local hospitals through philanthropic efforts. […]

By Blythe Keeler Robinson, President and CEO, Sheltering Arms “Education either functions as an instrument, which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity, or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with […]

By GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students Normally at this time of year, parents of young children would be preparing for the start of the school year. They might be shopping to the back-to-school sales, or simply easing their young ones out of their summer routines to prepare to meet their new teachers and classmates. But these are […]

By Eric White Summer is typically filled with so many fond memories: Sun-filled family vacations, delicious backyard barbeques, and sleeping in after long nights of laughter with friends,  The summer of 2020 is one I’ll never forget. Instead of taking my usual two-month break, I was asked to stay on in my role as a […]

By Christine Brodnan, Advocacy and Initiatives Vice President, The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. (JLA) prioritizes Early Childhood Education (ECE) as one of its three primary Community Impact areas. JLA has an extensive history of both direct community work and advocacy within Atlanta’s ECE efforts. From founding the Atlanta Speech […]

By Blythe Keeler Robinson, President and CEO, Sheltering Arms It’s been a year like no other. In the midst of a global pandemic, child care centers and schools across the country shut their doors with three months left in the school year. Although everyone’s circumstance is different, families and educators alike have done their best […]