ATLANTA – Teachers and staff working in Georgia’s early child care programs are now eligible to receive a big thank you in the form of a cash bonus.

What we know:

The bonuses are $500.

State officials say it is not just about recognizing teachers, but they also hope it helps recruit more people into the industry and retain the talent they already have.

The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, known as DECAL, is giving the annual bonuses to teachers and support staff across the state.

The new initiative which was launched this year is for staffers at Quality Rated Child Care facilities. Those are providers who exceed minimum standards. DECAL says the program is among the first of its kind in the nation.

The $17-million being used for this comes from a grant.

Thousands of childcare workers are eligible for this statewide.

The plan is to do these bonuses every year and Amy Jacobs, the DECAL commissioner, says if things go well they could look at increasing the bonuses in the future.

What they’re saying:

Cierra Scott has a job she loves at Little Linguists International Preschool in DeKalb County.

“I love coming back to the kids and them just showing me love, showing them love and just knowing that I am a big part of their life,” she said.

Scott started working at the school as an intern and is now full-time. Georgia early child care educators like her are now eligible for that bonus.

“It’s amazing, it feels good and it’s also great to know that the state has our back and that they see our hard work,” she said.

DECAL says it is all about reward hard workers.

“We’ve heard over and over again they’re not paid well; they make between $12 and $14 an hour on average throughout Georgia,” Jacobs said. “There are definitely recruitment and retention issues, and we want to do anything we can to help recruit and retain teachers to our industry.”

Jacobs is hopeful the recognition helps the educators.

“I hope that teachers realize that we value them, we want them to stay in our industry and continue to provide this high quality care,” Jacobs said.

Scott was one of the first to get the bonus and she’s thankful for the recognition.

“It just felt like a blessing, honestly, the timing of it like it was the perfect timing,” Scott said.

What you can do:

For more information on the new Quality Rated Workforce Bonuses, please visit https://decalqrpayments.com/quality-rated-workforce-bonus/. You can also contact Care Solutions at support@decalqrpayments.com or 770-642-6722 ext. 613. For general Quality Rated information, please contact the QR Provider Help Desk at 1-855-800-7747 or email QualityRated@decal.ga.gov.