In 1969, on an evening news broadcast, Walter Cronkite announced to the nation that Chattanooga, Tennessee had been named the “Dirtiest City in America, due in large part to its industrial success along the river. What transpired over the next 40 years was a revitalization of “place”. Today, Chattanooga is bustling tourism and hospitality hub with a sparkling river running through it. We have even been voted the “Best Town Ever” {twice} by Outside magazine. We refer to this revitalization of place as “Chattanooga 1.0.”
Chattanooga “2.0”, then, has became the revitalization of our people. In 2015, Chattanooga 2.0 was born out of a recognition of the economic imperative to bolster the local workforce through educational attainment. What started as a movement has developed into a birth-to-career collective impact nonprofit, leading systems change efforts in Hamilton County, TN.
- Initial report released summarizing significant workforce challenges and educational opportunities for Chattanooga-Hamilton County and the region
- Over 3,700 community members provide input during 100 Days of Community Conversation
- “10 Urgent Strategies to Transform Our Future” strategic plan is published, outlining 37 strategies, 13 metrics, and 2 bold goals
- Cross-sector action teams are formed to implement strategies from cradle to career
- 2021 Report to the Community published, highlighting five years of accomplishments along with the challenges and opportunities ahead, laying out clear goals for the next decade.
In 2021, Chattanooga 2.0 and its early childhood action team, Early Matters, joined Bright Start TN, powered by Tennesseans for Quality Early Education. This new statewide network taps the power of communities across Tennessee to collaboratively design, implement and scale high-quality early care and education (ECE) systems locally, while informing and advocating for supportive state policies.
The result was the publication of the Early Matters 2025 Early Childhood Action Plan in October 2022. The three-year plan outlines existing impactful initiatives in our community, the gaps we found by listening to the parents, teachers, and service providers, and 32 promising evidence-based strategies that, together with policy changes, comprise our county’s “recipe for success” for young children.
