When the Chattanooga 2.0 report was released nearly three years ago, we identified that Hamilton County would need an additional 4,000 early childhood and pre-K seats to fulfill potential demand and to help get more children ready for kindergarten. The Early Matters action team set out with a goal to cut the deficit in high quality early learning seats in half by 2025.

The work of the Early Matters action team in tandem with Mayor Berke, Ariel Ford, and the Office of Early Learning is making progress to provide more early learning opportunities to Hamilton County children. Mayor Berke’s “1,000 seats” initiative has already added 365 seats in 365 days, with an additional 600 in the pipeline.

The Chattanooga 2.0 report revealed that only 40% of students were entering kindergarten ready to learn in 2016. With focused efforts on early learning, including Camp K and Chattanooga Basics, our goal is to boost kindergarten readiness to 80% by 2025.

Thank you to Mayor Berke and everyone in our community who is making it happen. Your commitment to early learning and to providing parents and students the resources they so desperately need is truly making Hamilton County a better place for students, teachers, families, and businesses.

Read more about how Hamilton County childcare providers are preparing early learners for lifetimes of success. from Times Free Press.