Status Report Q1 2024
Raising Readers Nashville partners with Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce to present panel on child care
Raising Readers Nashville was excited to partner with Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, March 28 to present “Childcare Policy in Tennessee,” a Talent Solutions Forum series panel, and the second part of a two-part panel series on childcare in Middle Tennessee.
The event was designed to inform business leaders about the intricacies of childcare regulations, accessibility, and quality as they work towards developing childcare solutions that support their workforce. The conversations among panelists from Raising Readers Nashville, United Way of Greater Nashville, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education, Save the Children Action Network, YMCA of Middle Tennessee, and St. Luke’s Community House highlighted which policies are shaping the future of childcare in our state and how these policies impact the quality of life and livability in our thriving city. Held at Nashville State Community College, this great event was attended by over 75 local community partners, and business and government leaders.
Policy Team formalizes objectives
Following the success of last December’s advocacy panel, the Raising Readers Nashville Policy Team has recently formalized four distinct objectives to drive advocacy work forward. The team works to educate the collective of current and possible local and statewide policies affecting the lives of children and families, and to intervene and inform on drafted legislation or rules with both beneficial and potentially harmful effects on the lives of children and their families.
ACTION TEAM UPDATES
Kindergarten Readiness Fair connects families and educators
Members of Action Team 2, leaders from Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), and other Raising Readers Nashville partners all came together on Saturday, April 6 to support the MNPS Kindergarten Readiness Fair. Action Team 2 successfully tested out the concept of a volunteer team of Kindergarten Navigators who are trained and equipped to answer questions and provide guidance to families and children. An estimated 160 families attended the event. Stay tuned for more information about the Navigator Program as it is piloted in the community.
Introducing Core Network Nashville
Action Team 4 is excited to share The Nashville Area Early Childhood Training Collaborative (NAECTC) is now known as Core Network Nashville. This collaborative focuses on connecting resources for early childhood educators and becoming the place to find all local training resources and driving connections among the early childhood educator community. Core Network Nashville’s is currently building a verified directory of local resources that offer training, business support, or coaching services for both individual educators and child care facilities.
Phase I of Child Care Landscape Analysis is complete
Action Team 1 is thrilled to announce that the first phase of the Child Care Landscape Analysis is complete and being prepared for publishing. Researched and developed by the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Peabody, this portion of the analysis utilizes publicly available data and includes a library of maps illustrating key demographic and child care availability. Key insights from Phase I will be made available through an Executive Summary, releasing in the next 30 days. Additionally, look for upcoming coverage in the Nashville Business Journal about Nashville’s child care issues. The article should be released in the next few weeks.
Family Engagement Guide in development
Action Team 6 has been diligently facilitating research and review of family engagement models to develop a customized approach that meets the unique needs of Davidson County area families. The team is now shifting from information gathering to design and development, a key pivot point in their work. In the next two months they will be drafting the Raising Readers Nashville Family Engagement Guide and working with the backbone and action team to inform an implementation strategy.