Like here in Pensacola, Georgia families face a mounting childcare crisis, and despite comprehensive recommendations a state study committee, meaningful action from state lawmakers remains absent. This disconnect has sparked a grassroots movement refusing to stay silent.
A Blueprint Ignored
In December 2024, the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare delivered what should have been a game-changing report. After months of testimony, the committee presented a clear roadmap with practical solutions: additional funding for childcare workers, refundable tax credits for early childhood educators, increased tax credits for child and dependent care expenses, and creating a Georgia Child Tax Credit.
Georgia State Sen. Brian Strickland emphasized these findings would create “a more equitable and sustainable childcare system in our state for future generations.” Yet as the 2025 Legislative Session concluded, those solutions remained just recommendations gathering dust.
From Frustration to Action
The inaction has galvanized advocates statewide. 9to5 Georgia has organized “Nap Time is Over: It’s Time to Rally for Early Childhood”—a community gathering embodying families’ frustration and determination.
“Despite recommendations released by the Senate Study Committee in December, Georgia lawmakers failed to make critical investments in the state’s child care infrastructure this past legislative session,” said Jasmine Bowles, executive director of 9to5 Georgia.
The timing is crucial. As families struggle with existing childcare shortages, proposed federal cuts to Head Start, SNAP, and Medicaid threaten to make the situation catastrophic.
Why this matters: The childcare crisis isn’t about convenience—it’s about economic survival. When parents can’t find reliable, affordable childcare, they face impossible choices: leave the workforce, accept substandard arrangements, or stretch budgets to breaking points.
This reverberates through the economy. Businesses lose employees, communities lose economic activity, and children miss early learning opportunities fundamental to their future success.
Nap Time is Over
An upcoming Savannah rally represents more than protest—it’s a declaration that Georgia families won’t accept the status quo. Participants will share stories, advocate for fully-funded accessible childcare, and protect existing programs serving children and families.
This grassroots mobilization follows May’s National Day Without Child Care, demonstrating Georgia’s advocates are part of a broader movement demanding systemic change.
Georgia’s childcare advocates declare: Nap Time is Over. Real change requires sustained advocacy, political courage, and recognition that childcare isn’t luxury—it’s infrastructure as essential as roads and bridges.
The question is whether state lawmakers will listen to voices gathering across Georgia, or whether the gap between recommendations and action will continue widening while families pay the price.
The “Nap Time is Over” rally takes place Saturday, June 14, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at Forsyth Park Bandshell in Savannah, welcoming childcare providers, advocates, families, and local leaders committed to creating lasting change.