Democratic governor candidate calls for universal childcare during Macon stop

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves called for Georgia to implement universal childcare and increase funding towards technical education during a stop in Macon.

Esteves, who is a former educator and served on the Atlanta Board of Education, said Georgia students need more support early in their lives so that they’re prepared for school, and more avenues to help them transition to careers.

“Our public schools need a lot of attention and a lot of investment,” Esteves said on March 20.

Esteves voiced support for universal childcare in Georgia

A key part of supporting public education in Georgia is investing in early childhood education so that students show up to school with the tools they need to succeed, Esteves said.

“What educators will tell you is that they often feel like they’re trying to play catch up from the very beginning,” Esteves said. “We have a public school system that is built on remediation, on having to play catch up, and the fact of the matter is it makes things more expensive.”

According to Georgia Milestone results from 2024, 62% of third grade students in the state aren’t proficient in reading. The Georgia Council on Literacy, a statewide effort to improve literacy, estimates that one in 10 adults in Georgia are low literate, and low literacy costs Georgia around $1.2 billion annually in lost tax revenues, social services and incarceration.

Esteves said that if elected governor, he would work to implement universal childcare in Georgia, which is a policy framework that works to provide affordable early childhood education and care for all children who aren’t old enough to attend school.

Making care accessible to all Georgians would better prepare them to start school, Esteves said.

“I want to make sure that our children are starting on time, are able to have the building blocks that they need,” Esteves said.

Georgia needs to support technical education, Esteves said

During his Macon stop, Esteves also called on the state to increase funding and support for technical education programs in K-12 schools.

Esteves said he wants to spend more state tax dollars on programs that prepare students for technical education or careers after high school, including apprenticeship programs and pre-technical studies in public schools.

This would create pathways for Georgia students who want to pick up trades or go straight into paying jobs, Esteves said.

“We need to encourage our children to jump straight into the trades and go straight into a career, if that’s what they want to do,” Esteves said.

According to data from the Georgia Department of Education, more than 700,000 students across the state participated in some form of career, technical and agricultural education course or program.

Esteves is facing six other Democrats, including former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, to become the party’s candidate for Georgia governor. The primary is scheduled for May 19, with Election Day taking place on Nov. 3.