How evidence-based home visiting delivers measurable savings to state government $5.70 Return per $1 invested(highest-risk families) 56% Reduction inER visits 48% Reduction inchild abuse/neglect 8.5% Reduction inMedicaid costs Sources: RAND Corporation (2005); Olds et al., Pediatrics (1986); Olds et al., JAMA (1997); Miller, Prevention Science (2015) The Opportunity The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) pairs specially trained…
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A Workforce Strategy That Works: Child Care Subsidies for Tennessee’s Child Care Staff
In Brief: Low wages in Tennessee’s child care sector make it difficult for programs to recruit and retain staff, forcing many to operate below licensed capacity and limiting families’ access to care. Other states are addressing this by extending child care subsidies to parents who work in child care programs — a strategy Tennessee should…
» Read MoreTennessee Cuts Red Tape to Expand Access to Child Care
With child care in short supply across Tennessee—and the private market failing to meet rising demand—state lawmakers are finding new ways to foster industry growth, including tackling regulatory reform. A new law, public chapter 276, will cut some of the red tape that makes it difficult and expensive to open and operate child care programs,…
» Read MoreMicrocenter Networks: Onsite Childcare for Teachers
Chambliss Center for Children’s partnership with Hamilton County Schools (HCS) uses a micro-center network approach to supply onsite childcare to support teacher recruitment and retention. Finding quality, affordable child care is a struggle for most working parents, including teachers who don’t have the flexibility of working from home or adjusting their hours to meet child…
» Read MoreTyson Foods: Solving for Employee Child Care Pays Big Dividends
The Challenge Finding quality, affordable childcare for working parents – and especially for shift workers who often have non-traditional hours – can be a huge challenge that impacts both working families and the businesses that employ them. Across Tennessee, more than 80% of parents of young children report employment disruptions due to inadequate childcare, citing…
» Read MoreStatement on Tennessee’s gains in third grade reading
Following the release of statewide third grade reading test scores by the Tennessee Department of Education, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education issues the following statement: “We are glad to see that Tennessee students made historic gains in third grade reading scores this year. The 40 percent proficiency rate marks a 4.3 percentage point increase from…
» Read More2023 Legislative Wrap Up
Momentum builds for early care and education in Tennessee During the first year of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly, a large number of policy initiatives that align with Tennesseans for Quality Early Education’s Policy Blueprint 2.0 gained momentum. Below, we outline important legislative and budget items related to our priorities of high-quality birth-through-age-eight learning environments,…
» Read MoreReading 360: Tackling Tennessee’s Literacy Crisis
What is Reading 360? Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only a third of Tennessee’s 3rd graders were reading on grade level. To help tackle this crisis, the Tennessee Department of Education dedicated $100 million to an initiative called “Reading 360” to help school districts, teachers and families help struggling Tennessee students learn to read. Read…
» Read MoreOngoing child care crisis costs Tennessee $2.6 billion annually
New report details adverse economic impact on parents, businesses and taxpayers Prior to the pandemic, child care was a growing crisis for families and our economy. Fast forward to today, Tennessee’s working parents of young children continue to struggle to find and afford child care. For Tennessee employers the situation is likewise acute, with the…
» Read MoreTQEE responds to 2022 Nation’s Report Card
Following the release of the 2022 Nation’s Report Card by the National Center of Educational Progress (NAEP), which showed declines in student achievement nationwide and in Tennessee, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education issues the following statement from President and CEO Blair Taylor: “The 2022 Nation’s Report Card unfortunately highlights what we already knew – the…
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