Let’s face it, parenting can be difficult and getting a child prepared to attend school can be a challenge, even under perfect circumstances. For these Oak Ridge families, pre-K was a valuable advantage in getting their kids ready to be learners. Within this group, impediments to speech and hearing compounded the usual challenges of early-years…
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Wilson County Parents "Beyond Grateful" for Tennessee Pre-K
How does Pre-K impact the lives of the children and families that participate? A group of Wilson County parents recently wrote letters to Lebanon Special School District leaders with their enthusiastic description of how the experience has advanced their children’s development and prepared their children to succeed when they attend kindergarten. “My kids attending her…
» Read MoreGreat Pre-k Teachers Turn Play Into Powerful Early Learning
About two minutes into a conversation with Lenoir City Schools teacher and Preschool Program Director Melody Hobbs, you start to realize how much she has invested in learning how preschoolers work. “I love the four-year-old mind. I mean, it’s not three and it’s not five. Right?” Hobbs says with a laugh. “I mean, it’s just…
» Read MoreI did it!
Sometimes a picture says a lot. Hunter is building a tower out of colored blocks with his mom and his friend Tevri at home. It’s a photo that was years in the making, in part because of his involvement in one of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee’s most successful development programs. The “I did it” badge…
» Read More24-7-365 Childcare Supports Families in 21st Century Work World
How do you support a child? The answer is a little different now than in 1872, the year a group of women from Chattanooga churches opened a food and clothing pantry for orphaned girls.The Chambliss Center has seen its mission change from pantry to orphanage to shelter to group home and finally, today, to a…
» Read MoreStarting at Home: Improving Early Learning Via Home Visits
Jennifer Pignolet of the Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote a terrific article last week describing Porter Leath’s home visiting program and its impact. Read her article HERE. We’ve also written a blog post about a family served through Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee’s early home visiting program, which you can read HERE. Home visiting professionals visit families in…
» Read MoreEarly Home Visiting Programs Boost Early Literacy
After three years, Cassandra Ruffin knows the first rule of visiting the Dennard family. ”You cannot come into this home with only one book,” Ruffin said. So although she’s there specifically to check in on 3-year-old Ja’Mykal, she arrives at the Oakhaven town home with a bag of children’s books for the boy and his two older…
» Read MoreWitness the transformation of a child
Explaining what the Voluntary Pre-K program in Kingsport City Schools means to my son Samuel and I is a “where do I begin” task. My son Samuel has many health issues that have the potential to interfere with his education. He requires extra attention to the health issues, yet needs to be encouraged to be more independent.
» Read MoreA Young Mother Learns to Help Her Baby Girl Thrive
Itzel is protective of her mother today, forgiving her with words even though she didn’t have the easiest childhood. “My mom didn’t know any better and she definitely didn’t have anyone to turn to,” she says. Itzel’s mother called her names and made her daughter feel unwanted and unloved. It’s tough to grow up strong…
» Read MoreTackling Tennessee’s Opioid Crisis Through Quality Early Learning Programs
Last week a group of Chattanooga leaders, including Mayor Andy Berke and U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, along with TQEE coalition partners from business, law enforcement, military, nonprofit and faith communities, held a summit at the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce titled “Caring for Young Victims of the Opioid Crisis”. The purpose was to highlight the epidemic’s…
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