This week, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE) announced the launch of the Bright Start TN network and I am proud to share that Chattanooga-Hamilton County has been selected as one of six inaugural Bright Start TN community partners.

Chattanooga 2.0 will be the local backbone coordinating entity, and I am honored to be leading this work alongside a dedicated Bright Start steering committee. The purpose of Bright Start TN is to increase the percentage of third-grade children statewide who are proficient in English and math by focusing on: high-quality learning environments; the health and development of children birth through age eight; and family and community supports. These goals align perfectly with the collaborative work already taking place in Hamilton County. TQEE will support this work by providing Chattanooga 2.0 community partners with access to national and regional experts, data and other technical assistance resources, and policy advocacy.

Building on the foundational work of Early Matters and our early learning action teams, the Hamilton County Children’s Cabinet, and the City’s Department of Early Learning, we will collaborate with other Bright Start peer communities and TQEE to accelerate the use of data to inform evidence-based strategies. By coordinating and aligning all local early childhood efforts to assess needs, identify gaps, and then target the areas of highest need with evidence-based programs, we hope to make significant advances towards our Chattanooga 2.0 goals of improved Kindergarten readiness and third-grade reading proficiency for Hamilton County children.

If you are interested in supporting our Early Matters-Bright Start work in Hamilton County, please email me at jennifer@chatt2.org. To learn more about Bright Start TN, read the announcement and visit our TQEE page.

Jennifer Andrews
Director of Early Childhood Strategies