About Us
In Spring 1999, leaders from our local governments embarked on implementing the Family Connection process in Colquitt County. The City of Moultrie City Council, Colquitt County Board of Commissioners, and Colquitt County Board of Education jointly appointed a start-up board and merged with Communities In Schools (now defunct) to accomplish the administrative functions of the collaborative.
The group completed its first year of planning that included community meetings, focus groups, and surveys to identify the community goals of affecting:
- Teen Pregnancy (& Teen Parent Support)
- High School Dropouts
- Employment Opportunities/Need for Higher Paying Jobs
- Parental Involvement
- Use of Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs by youth
- Children Living In Poverty
In March, 2001, the Georgia General Assembly approved legislation to create the collaborative as a quasi-governmental authority to accomplish its vision and purpose for the children and families in Colquitt County. Since then, the collaborative members have forged strong partnerships, share information and resources, and collectively support a variety of programs and initiatives aimed at addressing these community goals.
Currently, the overall goal of the collaborative is to increase awareness and affect change in the indicators of persistent poverty in Colquitt County.
About Georgia Family Connection
Georgia Family Connection, a statewide infrastructure for aligning efforts across sectors, comes together through two distinct but connected change-makers: a statewide network of Collaboratives in all 159 counties and Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP). Each strengthens the other—and together, they form Georgia Family Connection.
We work toward measurably better outcomes across five key result areas:
The Georgia Family Connection statewide network—the only one of its kind in the country—works alongside children, families, and communities to help them thrive by crafting local solutions that maximize resources and make systems more effective and efficient. This network cultivates collaboration among community service providers, reducing duplication of efforts and allowing everyone to do more with the resources available.
Collaboratives equip local service agencies and organizations with the tools and methods they need to be more effective, helping them develop and work together on integrated strategies to improve child, family, and community well-being. We fill in service gaps in our communities by functioning as an incubator for direct services to families and children when a need isn’t being met. We also respond to urgent situations by maintaining strong relationships and the infrastructure necessary to deliver timely support.
GaFCP unites the statewide network in a shared framework that promotes consistent, ongoing collaboration and peer learning—equipping Collaboratives to draw on communities’ collective wisdom and experience across the state. GaFCP develops effective partnerships with state leaders, private enterprises, and other stakeholders to link the network with public and private funding, resources, talent, and innovation. GaFCP also empowers leaders across Georgia by making data accessible and providing practical tools, training, and technical assistance to support informed decision-making.
