Our Early Education Priorities
Our Policy Development Process
TQEE is Tennessee’s go-to source for sound early education policy proposals anchored in the four core priorities above. Developing those proposals is an involved process that requires a lot of inputs, and four key considerations.
What Works.
First and foremost we start with what works. The field of early education is chock full of research and evidence on practices that lead to effective early learning outcomes. We gather new information through regular research, through our national network of state early education advocates, and especially through our Tennessee-based policy advisors (see list below).
What’s Cost Effective.
One of the things we love about early education is the huge body of research demonstrating the strong return on investment for high quality early education. But we also dig into the specific program and practices, and we champion new research that helps us better understand program effectiveness and cost-effectiveness here in Tennessee. We also actively look for opportunities for our state to use existing resources more effectively.
What Tennesseans Want.
Tennessee voters overwhelmingly support our early education priorities and policy proposals; but we don’t take that for granted. We conduct a public opinion survey across the state each and every year to make sure our policy priorities are aligned with values and opinions of Tennesseans.
What State Government Leaders are Prioritizing.
We recognize and appreciate that there are many priorities for state government. That’s why we give special attention to aligning our legislative initiatives to other priorities which have momentum and where there exists a natural fit. For example, in response to Governor Lee’s executive order for government departments to give special attention to rural distressed communities, we proposed the first PreK expansion in over a decade begin in rural distressed communities.
Our Policy Advisors
West
Deborah Abel
Program Manager
Healthier Beginnings Program at the University of Tennessee, Martin
Sandra Allen
Director LeBonheur Community Health and Well-Being and member of the Early Success Coalition
Tequilla Brownie
Executive Vice President
Tennessee New Teacher Project
Holly Coleman
Program Director for High-Quality Education
Hyde Family Foundations
Carol Johnson
Interim President
Lemoyn Owen College
Dr. Mindy Kronenberg
Private Practice Clinician working with children & families. Board member for Association of Infant Mental Health in TN
Sean Lee
President
Porter Leath, Memphis
Chloe Moore
Director, NextMemphis
Porter Leath, Memphis
Bob Nardo
Founding Head
Libertas School of Memphis
Barbara Nixon
Founding Board Chair and consultant
ACE Awareness Foundation Memphis
Mary Palmer
Director
Southwest Tennessee Community College
Beverly Robertson
President & CEO
Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Kenneth Robinson
President and Chief Executive Officer
United Way of the Mid-South
Dr. Loretta Rudd
Clinical Associate Professor in Child Development. U of Memphis and First Lady of U of Memphis
Hayley Simmons
Policy Director
Seeding Success
Teresa Sloyan
Executive Director
Hyde Family Foundation
Kyle Spurgeon
Chief Executive Officer
Jackson Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Altha Stewart
Assoc. Professor of Psychiatry & Director, Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth
UT Health Science Center
Mark Sturgis
Executive Director
Seeding Success
Sharon Waterfield
Director
University of Tennessee, Martin Child and Family Grant Program
Carrie Whaley
Professor of Education
Union University School of Education
Middle
Joyce Bridges
Chief Officer for Statewide Initiatives
Child Care Resource and Referral Agency
Connie Casha
Director of Early Childhood Programs
MTSU
Dr. Caroline Christopher
Research Assistant Professor
Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt University
Katie Cour
President & CEO
Nashville Public Education Foundation
Jennifer Drake-Croft
Director of Early Childhood Well-Being
Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth
Dana Eckman
Principal, Ivanetta H. Davis Early Learning Center
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Dr. Dale Farran
Retired Professor
Former Senior Associate Director, Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt University
Diane Halstead
Regional Director for Tennessee
ReadyNation
Mary Louise Hemmeter
Professor. Dept. of Special Educ., Vanderbilt Univ. & Co-Faculty Director, Susan Gray School for Children
Jennifer Hill
Policy and Programming Director
Nashville Public Education Foundation
Dean Hoskins
Vice President
Books from Birth Foundation
Dr. Martha Howard
Assistant Professor
Curriculum & Instruction, Early Childhood, Tennessee Tech University
Sumita Keller
Director of Home Visiting Alliance of Tennessee
TN Commission on Children & Youth
Richard Kennedy
Executive Director
Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth
Cindy Ligon
Director
McKendree Child Care Center (and President of TACEE)
Mary Cypress Metz
Vice President of Strategy
State Collaborative on Reforming Education
Phyllis Phillips
Director of PreK Programs
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Joyce Bridges
Chief Officer for Statewide Initiatives
Child Care Resource and Referral Agency
Kristen Davis
Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee
Gina Tek
Childcare Services Coordinator
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Lin Venable
Director of Statewide Programs
Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance
Kinika Young
Director of Children’s Health
Tennessee Justice Center
East
Phil Acord
Board Chairman
Chambliss Center for Children, Chattanooga
Jennifer Andrews
Director of Programs
Chattanooga 2.0
Lora Barnett
Director of Workforce Development
Kingsport Chamber of Commerce
Jared Bigham
Senior Advisor on Workforce and Rural Initiatives
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce
Kristin Bradley
Early Intervention Services Coordinator Helen, Ross, McNabb Center, Knoxville. BOD Association for Infant Mental Health in TN
Michelle Davis
Director
Learning Rx, Chattanooga
Dr. Amy Doran
Director of Early Childhood Education
Kingsport City Schools
Dr. Kathy Fitzgerald
Clinical Asst. Professor, Early Learning Center Practicum Coordinator. U of TN, Knoxville, Dept. of Child & Family Studies
Ariel Ford
Director. Office of Early Childhood
Office of Mayor Andy Berke, Chattanooga
Corrine Hill
Executive Director
Chattanooga Public Library
Melody Hobbs
Pre-K Supervisor
Lenoir City Schools
Shannon Jackson
Executive Director
Curriculum & Instruction, Knox County Schools
Maeghan Jones
President
Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga
Dr. Bob Kronick
Professor of Counseling and Education and Director of University-Assisted Community Schools, U of TN, Knoxville
Beth Lackey
Early Childhood Supervisor
Knox County Schools
Lisa Light
Principal
Gap Creek Elementary, Knox County Schools
Phil Acord
Board Chairman
Chambliss Center for Children, Chattanooga
Susan Lodal
Former Board Chair
Kingsport City Schools Board of Directors
Sarah Morgan
Chief Executive Officer
Benwood Foundation
Dr. Michelle Moser
Associate Professor
ETSU Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences & Child/Family Psychologist
Phyllis Nichols
President & CEO
Knoxville Urban League
Beth Rhinehart
CEO
Bristol Chamber of Commerce
Lottie Ryans
Director
Workforce & Literacy Initiatives, First Development District
Henry Shulson
Executive Director
Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga
Angela Webster
Executive Director
Association of Infant Mental Health in TN
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