"Little has been said, about the one population who could benefit the most from the economic stimulus package: our children," says Lauren Waits, policy director for Voices for Georgia's Children.

"We know that the early years are critical to a child's healthy development," says Waits in an article from the Georgia Forum. "When children, especially high risk children, receive care that is nurturing, supportive and based on their unique needs early on, we can put them on a course for success. Key provisions of the stimulus bill contain investments designed to assure that infants, toddlers and preschoolers get what they need to thrive."

"It's now up to us to make sure these available funds are deployed correctly for maximum impact and return on that investment," she adds. "Some money will flow directly to families through tax credits. The families of approximately 540,000 children in Georgia will become newly eligible for sliding scale tax credits of up to $1,000 per child."

"Communities and small businesses such as child care providers can apply for expanded Head Start and Early Head Start resources," she states. "The stimulus package emphasizes Early Head Start, which assist both parents and children from birth up to age four by providing home visitation, health and developmental screenings and quality child care in a variety of settings. Expansions should be directed to the areas of most intense need in Georgia. With Head Start providers already in place, Georgia has a sound framework for expansion."

"Governor Sonny Perdue and School Superintendent Kathy Cox can also direct some of Georgia's $1.28 billion in fiscal stabilization funds to school modernization, renovation or repair," she adds. "Many school systems have waiting lists for Georgia PreK because they lack the physical space. The flexibility in additional education funding provided through the Act should also allow the governor to restore his proposed $30 million cut to the school nurse program. Georgia will also receive stimulus funds for special education through IDEA grants, with a portion set aside specifically for infants and toddlers."

"As an added measure, the stimulus will provide Georgia with $82.8 million to subsidize child care for low income working families," she suggests.

"We all know this massive spending increase will need to be paid back at some point by future generations," Waits concludes. "Done right, the investments we make today on our youngest people can serve as a sizeable down payment on that debt and we'll be putting them in a much better position to capitalize upon it down the road."

Children are one population who could benefit the most from the economic stimulus package.

When children, especially high risk children, receive care that is nurturing, supportive and based on their unique needs early on, we can put them on a course for success. Key provisions of the stimulus package contain investments designed to assure that infants, toddlers and preschoolers get what they need to thrive.

It's now up to us to make sure these available funds are deployed correctly for maximum impact and return on that investment. This includes providing tax credits for families, and investing in Head Start, Early Head Start and pre-kindergarten expansions.

We all know this massive spending increase will need to be paid back at some point by future generations. Done right, the investments we make today on our youngest people can serve as a sizeable down payment on that debt and we'll be putting them in a much better position to capitalize upon it down the road.

About Lauren Waits
The author is Lauren Waits, policy director of Voices for Georgia's Children. She can be reached at (404) 521-0311 (in Atlanta).