Our policy priorities include:
Strengthening literacy supports in the early grades
Developing language and literacy skills begins at birth through
everyday interactions with parents and caregivers, such as sharing
books, telling stories, singing songs and talking to one another.
But unfortunately, by the time many children reach kindergarten,
they have already fallen behind and require additional supports
to catch up to grade level by third grade. To this end, in
2021 Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly made
significant, though temporary, investments in boosting early grades
literacy rates - such as a new phonics-based reading program,
high-dosage tutoring and afterschool and summer programs. Additionally,
in 2022 they enacted the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement
Act which significantly increased investments to support early
literacy in grades K - 3. We must protect and expand on these
investments and continue to promote policies that ensure more
Tennessee children are reading on grade level by the
critical third grade benchmark.
Nurturing physical and mental health from birth
Strong, healthy parents and families mean strong, healthy kids.
Decades of research show that early childhood health is a critically
important factor when it comes to building strong brains and a solid
early learning foundation. Beginning from birth, children's progress
along crucial developmental milestones depends on nurturing, safe,
stable relationships with caregivers and the whole family's access
to health and mental health supports. We support policies that
expand families' access to health and mental health supports and
that strengthen early relational health.
Increasing access to high-quality, affordable child care
The state of Tennessee is facing a child care emergency. A 2019
child care survey
conducted by Tennesseans for Quality Early Education found that 98 percent
of Tennessee parents of children under 5 reported child care challenges that
adversely impacted their work productivity or limited career opportunities -
with affordability, access and difficulty finding quality care being the
biggest problems. Additionally, the pandemic coupled with historically
low pay for child care educators have significantly compounded the problem.
Child care providers are struggling to recruit and retain qualified staff,
while trying to keep costs affordable for parents. They are especially
challenged in serving infants and toddlers where costs are highest due to
lower staff-to-child ratios. We support policies and investments that
ensure working families across the state can access affordable, quality
child care. Investments in child care are investments in the
workforce of today and the workforce of tomorrow.
Making high-quality Pre-K an option for more Tennessee families
Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) expansion is long overdue in Tennessee. It's a proven
tool for academic success that hasn't been meaningfully expanded in the
number of classrooms funded or amount of funding per classroom in nearly 15 years.
Meanwhile, demand for the VPK program is high. Currently only 22 percent of
four-year-olds are enrolled in VPK, while seventy-five percent of school
districts cite waitlists totaling thousands of students. Pre-K also makes
good business sense. In fact, increased academic and career achievement
as well as reduced costs in remedial education, health and criminal
justice system expenditures led Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman to
document returns as high as $7 - $10 for every $1 invested in high-quality Pre-K
for economically disadvantaged children. Heckman's research makes clear what
we already know - it's much more cost effective to invest early than to
remediate later. Tennessee must increase state funding for Pre-K so school districts
and their private sector preschool partners can cover the costs of quality
classrooms, and so more parents have the option for their children to attend.
Empowering parents and families
Parents are children's first and most influential teachers. As such,
it's important parents and families have access to the resources they
need to help their children thrive. Unfortunately, too many Tennesseans
are struggling with the stress that comes from trying to make ends
meet and navigate parenting. One proven strategy to support parents
is voluntary Evidence-Based Home Visiting, where parents who choose
to participate are provided with a social worker or nurse to
help them learn parenting skills, support their children's early
health, and access needed resources for their families. Studies show
these voluntary programs empower parents, helping to strengthen
parenting skills, reduce abuse and neglect, and get children
ready for school. In addition, these programs are cost
effective and could generate a return of up to $5.70 for every $1
invested. We support investments in Evidence-Based Home Visiting
programs and other resources that strengthen families and
support parenting success.