Online Athens – Lee Shearer
“Early childhood education has a big economic effect in Georgia, said state officials, scholars and advocates in Athens on Friday. But the state should find ways to boost the industry lest Georgia fall behind in its quest to produce a more educated workforce, some said in the morning briefing in the University of Georgia’s Seney-Stovall Chapel. The industry’s economic impact is about $4.7 billion in Georgia, said Georgia State University economic analyst Sally Wallace — a $2.5 billion direct impact, $910 million indirect and $1.3 billion “induced,” she said. Direct is money that goes directly into child care, such as salaries for teachers, while indirect includes such things as transportation and janitorial services associated with early child care. “Induced” means things like the economic effect when employees buy household goods with money they’ve earned in child care, which supports other businesses.”(more)