Elevating Early Educators
Nashville can’t grow its childcare supply without a strong, supported workforce. As the city has added residents, we’ve lost licensed providers — often because educators can’t sustain a career in the field. NEEC strengthens the ecosystem by investing in the people who make quality possible.
We convene educators to surface real-time challenges to policymakers, provide targeted grants and scholarships through the Nashville Childcare Opportunity Fund, and equip program leaders with coaching and peer support.
We also collect and share essential data, including salary benchmarks and enrollment trends, so centers can refine operations and retain talent. The goal is simple: stable teams, thriving centers, and high-quality learning for young children.
Bridge to Sustainability Cohort
The Bridge to Sustainability was a cohort of executive directors from 11 Nashville early education providers whose centers prioritized serving income-limited families. Typically at least half of their enrolled families are designated as low-income and either pay tuition on a sliding scale or receive tuition support from state certificates.
The Bridge to Sustainability program included technical assistance, a peer network, and grant support of more than $1.2 million. The cohort also participated in data collection to help NEEC share a more accurate picture of the early childhood landscape in Nashville.
Tiny Humans, Big Deal
Thanks to the generous support of the Speer Foundation, NEEC was able to show some love to Nashville’s early childhood education teachers and directors. The effort kicked off by inviting NEEC’s funders to a goody bag stuffing party — hosted by Lipscomb University’s School of Education. Joining the Speer Foundation were representatives from the Joe C. Davis Foundation, Memorial Foundation, and the Dettwiller Foundation. Then, again thanks to Lipscomb University, we hosted an appreciation breakfast where we gave directors goody bags for themselves, and t-shirts and snack packs for their teachers.
We were also able to give all attendees mini-grants to use in some way for their staff. Working in early childhood education is not for the faint of heart, and we are so grateful for every one of these leaders who show up every day. Because these tiny humans they teach? They’re a big deal.