Have you raised young children in Hamilton County?

CLICK HERE TO Take our Early Childhood Survey.

Today, we are launching a countywide survey to learn more about the experiences of young families in Hamilton County, TN.

The survey covers topics such as:

• care situations for children not enrolled in child care
• satisfaction with child and parental resources
• satisfaction and knowledge of educational resources for young children in our community
• and more.

Rather than guessing these answers, we’re asking the community – now is your chance to weigh in.

Children are born with great potential for development and learning . . .

The evidence is clear – experiences during the first few years of life have a profound and lasting impact. During the period from birth to age three, the developing brain forms more than one million new connections per second. These connections form the foundation for all future learning.

One year ago, members of our early childhood action team, Early Matters, embarked on a five-year plan to align collaborative early childhood work across Hamilton County. The two priority areas outlined in that plan are to build coordinated and aligned equity-focused early childhood systems and advocate both with and for children and families.

Organizational partners within Early Matters believe that early matters, quality matters, and families matter. Grounded in these principles for change, Early Matters is looking to strengthen the early childhood system by addressing challenges for families, programs, and the community over the next five years.

Ongoing documentation of early childhood efforts, conditions, and lived experiences of young children and their families is critical information that will advise policymakers, system leaders, and the broader community on what parts of the system could work better for children and families, including priority populations, equity considerations, and implementation solutions.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

If you have raised or are raising young children in Hamilton County, please complete the survey.

If you are a service provider to families in Hamilton County, please share this survey with your networks.

The survey will be open for one month with paper surveys in circulation for the first two weeks. Both online and paper surveys are available in English and Spanish. If your organization would like to help distribute and collect paper surveys, please contact jennifer@chatt2.org.

Chattanooga 2.0 has partnered with Community Data Platforms to create this survey and summarize the responses. In late February, we will publish the results of the survey to the survey website. Survey results will be used to inform our Early Matters – Bright Start plan for early care and education, along with other ongoing assessment and mapping projects conducted by Early Matters partners.

Take our Early Childhood Survey

As a bonus, follow the two-step survey process to be entered into a giveaway for one of five $50 VISA gift cards or a new iPhone. Click here to learn more.