Tennessee Joins National Celebration of Week of the Young Child

Nashville, TN-Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Department of Education commemorate the Week of the Young Child, April 22nd – 28th, to focus on the development of adolescents and to thank educators engaged in building brighter futures for the children of Tennessee. Founded in 1971 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Week of the Young Child is a time to identify opportunities that will allow Tennessee to meet the needs of all young children and their families.

“Early childhood education is the first step in ensuring success for Tennessee’s young people and is the key to the future educational achievements in our state,” Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said. “We are fortunate to have a leader like Governor Bredesen who is committed to providing high quality pre-K programs to children in Tennessee. “

To date, Tennessee has 677 state funded pre-K classrooms with a total of 13,000 4-year olds enrolled and $80 million invested in the program. Tennessee has been recognized by the National Institute for Early Education Research as one of only six states with highest quality pre-K program standards and is held as a model state by the national advocacy organization pre-K Now.

“I am thrilled with the outpour of support for this program and those who give their time to ensure its success,” said Bobbi Lussier, executive director of early childhood learning. “Establishing an eagerness for learning in children at a young age is pertinent to their development and will generate positive effects that will improve their future school performance.”

Many researchers believe that preschool experiences can improve a child’s ability to think and reason, which in turn influences their ability to learn and retain information in the early grades. In addition, early educational happenings can lead to increases in emotional and cognitive development.

While Tennessee’s program gives priority to at-risk four-year-olds, the eventual goal is to be able to provide pre-K instruction to all families in Tennessee who wish to participate. Pre-K has also been identified as an essential tool in reaching out early to the increasing number of English language learners.

Every state pre-K classroom is run by a professional licensed teacher in early childhood education and a trained teaching assistant who together serve no more than 20 children. Throughout a five and a half hour school day, children are exposed to a multi-faceted, standards-based curriculum.

For more information, contact Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel.Woods@state.tn.us.