Playing is crucial for early childhood development and learning – and it’s fun! In order to Be a Loud Voice for Little Kids and advocate for early care and education, it’s helpful to understand a little bit about child development. One of the really wonderful things about supporting a child’s development is that it is…
» Read MoreYearly Archives: 2024
Lunch ‘n’ Learn: NEXT Memphis Child Care Shared Services Solution
ICYMI here’s a recap of our August 25 Lunch ‘n’ Learn: NEXT Memphis Child Care Shared Services Solution. We heard from Corey Strong, Director of Partnerships | First 8 Memphis, and Alicia Norman, Director | NEXT Memphis, about how NEXT Memphis is increasing the quality and capacity of child care centers through their shared services model. Watch the…
» Read MoreLunch ‘n’ Learn: Community Schools in Knoxville
ICYMI here’s a recap of our September 22 Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Child Care Grant Opportunity for Employer-Nopprofit Teams. We heared from United Way of Greater Knoxville team members Ellie Kittrell (Director of Education Systems) and Adam Fritts (Director of Community Schools) about a long-standing and successful community schools strategy in Knoxville. Watch the Video (We recommend…
» Read MoreLunch ‘n’ Learn: Child Care Grant Opportunity for Employer-Nonprofit Teams
ICYMI here’s a recap of our March 28 Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Child Care Grant Opportunity for Employer-Nopprofit Teams. We featured Dana Glenn, TDHS Director of Licensing, who will answered questions about the grant program and shared in an idea-exchange on creative solutions! Watch the recap to hear more about The Tennessee Department of Human Services’ “NEW” Non-profit and…
» Read MoreLunch ‘n’ Learn: Child Care Policy Changes Coming to TN
ICYMI here’s a recap of our March 18 Lunch ‘n’ Learn on Child Care Policy Changes Coming to TN. We featured federal child care policy expert Grace Reef with CED in an engaging and informative interview on new federal policy changes set to take effect next month and how they will affect TN. Plus we…
» Read MoreDyersburg State Community College + TECTA Partner with 30 West TN High Schools to Grow Early Educators
The Challenge Tennessee, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a shortage of early educators in child care, preschool and K-3rd classrooms. High school career and technical education (CTE) programs for Early Childhood Education Careers (ECCE) and Teaching as a Profession (TAP) are potentially productive “on-ramps” for the early educator workforce pipeline. However, the programs…
» Read MoreBSTN: Growing the Early Educator Workforce
Based on requests from our Bright Start communities for support tackling the shortage of early educators, we kicked off a community of practice which began at our ALIGN summit in September 2023. Looking back over a year of workshops and learning seminars, we learned a lot together, and showcased some great innovators around the state.…
» Read MoreEncourage a Teacher
With the beginning of another learning-filled school year, we have a mission for you that’s more important than finding the perfect lunchbox or mastering the art of the morning school run. We need your help to sprinkle some much-needed encouragement on our incredible early educators. How, you ask? By writing them a heartfelt letter of…
» Read MoreLunch ‘n’ Learn: School Readiness
If you missed the July 26th Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Defining and Measuring School Readiness, below are the video and materials shared, plus a short overview. Watch the full Lunch ‘n’ Learn TQEE Kindergarten Readiness Presentation BSTN LNL 2024 07 26 slide deck Preparing Children and Their Families for Kindergarten July 2024.pptx The Challenge Research is…
» Read MoreCheck out TN Primary Election Results!
We urge all Tennessee early care and education advocates to take a close look at the recent primary election results. Knowing who’s running to be your state policymakers is the first step in making your voice heard for children. While elections for state legislators won’t be final until the general election on November 5, a…
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