Strengthening Nashville Families Through Educational Opportunities
The NEEC is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the availability of early education providers to ensure every Nashville child has access to quality early education.
Vision
Our vision is a city where all children have access to the highest-quality childcare from infancy to kindergarten; parents can provide for their families and contribute meaningfully to their communities; and childcare providers are able to sustain high-quality programs.
The Nashville Early Education Coalition (NEEC), founded in 2024, is a group of stakeholders dedicated to addressing Nashville’s childcare crisis who are working to create a centralized, integrated childcare system that ensures all children can access affordable, high-quality care and education.
NEEC is committed to reshaping the landscape of early childhood education, ages birth to five, in Nashville. We are focused on transforming the early childhood education system by aligning resources, enhancing collaboration, and advocating for impactful policy changes. The coalition aims to improve workforce development, expand childcare options, and support early childhood providers to give Nashville’s children the best start in life.
Guiding Principles
Our Advisory Council has established the following guiding principles to define our focus:
- Inspire Community Leadership: Lead with a focus on all of Nashville’s children, fostering trust and connection through curiosity, transparency, candor, and respect.
- Drive Accountability: Set bold goals and ensure accountability by harnessing data from past community efforts, successful peer initiatives, and ongoing evaluation to refine our approach.
- Balance Urgency with Strategy: Act swiftly and decisively while applying thoughtful and strategic planning to achieve our objectives.
- Celebrate Our Unique Approach: Embrace and highlight what sets us apart:
- Nashville is poised for impactful action.
- We are dedicated to a collaborative and inclusive spirit.
- We value insights from the early childhood education field and seek active engagement from business, government, and philanthropy.
- We believe in fair compensation, benefits, and professional respect for early childhood education, recognizing its profound impact.
Who We Work With
To achieve our mission, we are a coalition comprised of four key stakeholder groups:
Early Childhood Education
Businesses
Local and State Government
Philanthropy
Meet the NEEC Team
NEEC’s strategic direction is led by a Community Advisory Council, a broad cross-sector of stakeholders involved in childcare in Nashville, with the goal of becoming a central connection point for childcare conversations, information sharing, and engagement. The founding council includes:
Advisory Council
Councilwoman Burkley Allen
Laura Bilbrey, Executive Committee
Hal Cato, Executive Committee
Anne Clem
Stephanie Coleman
Leslie Cowell
Debbie Ferguson
Alyssa Garnett-Arno
Dana Glenn
Megan Godbey
Angela Goddard, Executive Committee
Monique Hodison
Micha Johnson
Watechia Lawless Mitchell
John Mikos
Erica Mitchell, Executive Committee
Cynthia Osborne
Viva Price, Executive Committee
Rebecca Woods
Tamiko Wright
NEEC Staff
Melanie Shinbaum
Melanie Shinbaum, founding NEEC Executive Director, is an active contributor to the nonprofit and early education sectors, with 25 years of experience in various leadership roles, including CEO of St. Luke's Community House, Executive Director at Fannie Battle Day Home for Children, and positions at United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, among others. Melanie’s commitment to the community is evident in her roles on several influential committees and boards. Her tenure as Board President for Nashville’s NAEYC and her leadership in community-wide solutions for underserved populations echo the coalition’s goal of enhancing childcare quality and accessibility. Melanie holds a master’s degree in public administration (MSP) from Cumberland University, and a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Away from work, Melanie enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. On any given evening or weekend, she can be found on the sidelines of one of her children’s various sports activities. She is a serial-hobbyist, "crazy plant lady", and loves to curl up with a good book or work a jigsaw puzzle on a rainy day. Melanie is an avid lover of the outdoors and enjoys a beautiful weekend camping at one of our amazing TN State Park campgrounds.