Our Mission
Strengthening early learning in South Alabama through professional development programs for teachers and child care providers;
activities that enrich the lives of children and families; information that elevates child care as a community resource;
and partnership with business and government to increase the availability of high quality child care.
About Us
GRCMA Early Childhood Services is a recognized and respected member of the regional service system, and has earned the privilege of becoming a United Way of Southwest Alabama Partnership Agency. We have used the lessons learned in Mobile to create relationships throughout the area we serve with early childhood education initiatives, child care related support programs, professional development events and quality enhancement activities. GRCMA Early Childhood Services (GRCMA ECS) improves the quality of child care programs and implements early learning opportunities to prepare children for academic success. Incorporated in 1991 (non-profit corporation) after a multi-community task force made up of child care providers and extended service agencies determined a need to create an independent agency to provide child care resource and referral services, the agency was named the Gulf Regional Child Care Management Agency, Inc. (GRCMA) and almost immediately became known as “gran[d]ma”! Unfortunately, this fond colloquialism did little to tell the story of our agency and help us achieve our goals for children and working families. So, in 1998, using a process that involved our child care community, we extended our name to become GRCMA Early Childhood Directions (GRCMA ECD).
Created to meet the needs of the early child care and education community and the families and children involved with these programs, GRCMA ECD specializes in grant based initiatives and resource and referral activities that are consistent with its stated mission. The agency was subsequently selected by the State Department of Human Resources to be one of five pilot sites to implement the child care management agency concept in the state, including planning and carrying out quality enhancement activities and administering child care subsidy funds. GRCMA ECD history includes many other “firsts” for child care in Alabama. We were the first child care agency in the state (1993) to convene regionally located academicians from college level to vocational high schools and local training organizations to formulate a plan to coordinate and collaborate to create an integrated system of career advancement for early childhood educators.
The programs currently offered by GRCMA ECS are made possible through specific grant initiatives and service contracts. Many are the only source for these activities in the region. It has been a major goal of the agency not to duplicate services, but to make it possible to enhance and grow the services our communities can offer.
GRCMA Early Childhood Services 2012 Annual ReportGRCMA Early Childhood Directions 2011 Annual Report
Early Head Start Mid Year School Readiness Assessment
E-mail: info@grcma.org
