Public Administration Internship Jobs in Decatur, GA

Internship with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is available. The position is open to current undergraduate and graduate students. The internship dates are from August 2026 through December 2026. The pay rate is based on the student status: $14.00 per hour for current undergraduate students and $16.00 per hour for current graduate students. The internship requires a minimum of 20 hours per week, up to a maximum of 29 hours per week. The location is at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE. Suite 754 East Tower, Atlanta, GA.

Agency Overview

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia's children and their families. It administers the nationally recognized Georgia's Pre-K Program, licenses child care centers and home-based child care, administers Georgia's Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program, federal nutrition programs, and manages Quality Rated, Georgia's community powered child care rating system. The department also houses the Head Start State Collaboration Office, distributes federal funding to enhance the quality and availability of child care, and works collaboratively with Georgia child care resource and referral agencies and organizations throughout the state to enhance early care and education.

The Executive Administrative Intern will help the Executive Assistant to the DECAL Commissioner with administrative, communications, and logistical tasks. This internship provides hands-on experience supporting high-level executive functions in a state government agency and exposure to interagency collaboration, board governance, and constituent relations. The ideal candidate is organized, detail-oriented, professional, and interested in public service, early childhood, or executive support.

• Support Executive Scheduling & Coordination
• Administrative & Logistical Support
• Constituent Services & Stakeholder Engagement
• Board Support & Meeting Coordination

• Exposure to executive decision making, public policy issues, and agency governance.
• Experience collaborating with state leadership, legislative partners, and cross-agency stakeholders.
• Understanding of government scheduling protocols, constituent services, and board operations.
• Develop administrative, communication, and project coordination skills.

• Interest in public administration, political science, communication, business, education policy, or related fields.

Entry Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled student, part-time or full-time, with a 3.0 GPA or higher (must submit transcript to verify enrollment and GPA).

• Georgia resident or attending a Georgia college, university, or law school.

• Working level skill in the use of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook) Good research and analytical skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, maintain confidentiality, and handle sensitive matters with discretion.

Physical Requirements and Performance Aptitudes:

• Requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading and visual inspection.

• Requires the ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data. Includes exercising discretion in determining data classification.

• Requires the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication.

• Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is an equal opportunity employer. A background check will be completed upon hire, which may consist of any of the following: criminal history, credit history, employment history, educational records, IRS records and driving records.

If you are an individual with a disability who may require assistance or other reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the selection process for this position, you may contact our HR department at 678-879-2993.