Rockdale County Public Schools

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) operates as PACE hub serving over 150 children in the Rockdale area.  The PACE hub consists of 1 hub supervisor and 7 parent educators.  The Rockdale hub is not only funded by PACE/United Way, but through additional funders as well.  Even though all hub staff are not primarily funded through PACE, all staff incorporate the 3 PACE strategies of home visitation, parent leadership and school transition.  The PACE program in Rockdale County is associated with an early learning center whose curriculum is based on the Reggio Emilia paradigm. 

Of all the children served, 44 percent are identified as Black/African American with an additional 49.1 percent falling into the Hispanic or Latino ethnic group.  80 percent of the students in the Rockdale center qualify for free or reduced-price lunch while the other 20 percent are admitted through a popular lottery.  Approximately sixty of the children receive Light Touch services.  Poverty has reduced access to early learning opportunities in the county and many children must enter school without the academic and social skills needed to learn. 

In Rockdale County, PACE is implemented via the Rockdale Early Learning Initiative.  The Early Learning Initiative is designed to support the optimal development of young children and their families through provision of a wide range of experiences that promote literacy, social/emotional development, cognitive skills, physical development and creativity in an enriched and supportive learning environment for children ages 0-5. The initiative ensures that parents and early learning providers in Rockdale County are connected to appropriate, available community support and resources, and every child enters school ready to learn.

Early learning programs in Rockdale County strive to ensure that:

• Children will be healthy, well-nourished and meet developmental milestones.
• Children (0-5) will receive developmental screenings for early indicators of school readiness.
• Children (0-5) with identified special needs will be offered appropriate intervention services at an earlier age.
• Children (age 4) will participate in a Pre-K or quality early learning program by September 1 each year.
• Pre-K children will experience seamless transitions from early childhood settings to the Rockdale County public school system.
• Parents and Early Learning providers will be knowledgeable of child development stages and positive parenting skills, thus becoming better teachers and advocates for children.
• Children will be in safe and stable families.