Having published the report, Want to Grow Tennessee’s Economy? Fix the Child Care Crisis, TQEE is now dedicated to doing just that. The study revealed that Tennessee’s child care system is rife with problems of affordability, quality and access. Fixing it will require more than tweaks to component parts. The child care system is a…
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Government Resources Available to Help Fix the Child Care Crisis
As mentioned in our Child Care Crisis Solutions Series Introduction, child care plays many roles in Tennessee’s economy. It’s a business, a job, an early education, and a crucial work support for working families. And while private sector can and should be part of the solution to the crisis, government has a major role to…
» Read MoreShared Services Networks: A Smart Solution for Growing More Affordable, High-Quality Child Care
Tennessee has a large child care industry sector, made up primarily of home-based, sole proprietors, but to meet market demand, the sector needs to grow substantially. There are 13,185 market-based child care providers in Tennessee with a combined revenue of $752 million; but the number of providers is down 11.4% since 2010. At the same…
» Read MoreHow Technology Can Be A Game-Changer for Child Care
Remember the paper and pencil world? The vast majority of child care providers still operate there, missing out on the tremendous advantages technology can provide. For example, many have yet to avail themselves of the opportunity to collect tuition through the use of an online payment system. But today, according to a 2017 AITE study,…
» Read MoreBusiness Strategies for Supporting Employee-Parents
Many businesses today are finding that offering child care benefits can give them a competitive edge and generate a return on investment through employee retention and productivity. Patagonia, for example, has long made headlines for finding ways to solve the child care puzzle of today’s modern worker. In 1983, they brought child care on-site, and have seen…
» Read MoreChild Care Report News and Press
Our child care report series has garnered a lot of great press across the state, with more to come! We’re keeping track of it all here so it’s easy to find for our coalition members. Murfreesboro’s Daily News Journal: https://www.dnj.com/story/news/2019/09/14/childcare-tennessee-workforce-child-care-needs-cost-revenue-families/2266422001/ Clarksville’s The Leaf Chronicle: https://www.theleafchronicle.com/story/news/2019/09/14/childcare-tennessee-workforce-child-care-needs-cost-revenue-families/2266422001/ Jackson Sun: https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/2019/09/14/childcare-tennessee-workforce-child-care-needs-cost-revenue-families/2266422001/ Nashville’s Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/09/14/childcare-tennessee-workforce-child-care-needs-cost-revenue-families/2266422001/ Knoxville News Sentinel: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2019/09/18/affordable-child-care-knoxville-tennessee/2354266001/…
» Read MorePress Release: Child Care Report Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 17, 2019 Contact: Mike CarpenterTQEE (901) 331-0153 Unworkable child care system has annual $1.34B adverse impact on TN Business orgs across the state advocate priority action to address system dysfunction MEMPHIS, Tenn. – When Tennessee’s working families cannot access the child care services they need, there are significant economic consequences for parents,…
» Read MoreReport Confirms: PreK Advantage Carries Through 3rd Grade Given Effective K-2
Vanderbilt researchers, together with the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, have released a new working paper with major implications for early education in Tennessee. The paper confirms Tennessee PreK students who subsequently experienced “sustaining environments” – meaning they attended high performing K-3 schools and were taught by highly effective teachers – significantly outpaced their peers…
» Read MoreEvidence of High-Quality Pre-k Value Grows
The evidence of the value of high-quality pre-k has always far exceeded reports that pre-k is not effective. That trend continues with the release of a study by Nobel Prize-winning economist, James Heckman, detailing the benefits of high-quality pre-k that extend into adulthood. And because high-quality is essential to sustained pre-k benefits, Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-k…
» Read MoreTQEE Statement on Voluntary Pre-k Funding Awards
“High quality pre-k works – students who are enrolled in quality programs have a measurable advantage over their peers who do not attend pre-k. The 2016 reforms approved by the Tennessee General Assembly, including the introduction of competitive grants for VPK funding, elevated quality standards across the state for truer consistency of quality. Tennessee should…
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