Additional Resources

Since 2003, a number of national approaches have been integrated into ECCS plans.

The Strengthening Families Initiative seeks to integrate the five protective factors in system interventions targeting professional and parent education. Recently, the concept of community cafes have been implemented to mobilize parents and other care givers to identify and address community based needs to assure that children have the best start. These efforts have been guided and supported by the Children’s Trust Fund of Tennessee focused on child abuse prevention.

Parent leadership training and child abuse prevention services are offered and have expanded through the efforts of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee. Recently, PCAT has developed and implemented the “Never Shake a Baby” campaign through birthing hospitals.

Child Care Resource and Referral Centers are established in ten geographic regions of the state to provide training and technical assistance to licensed child care and family day home providers helping to improve the quality of out of home care for young children. In addition to offering professional in-service training to improve activities offered for growth and development the CCR and Rs assist licensed facilities in preparing of licensing evaluation resulting in STAR ratings of quality to assist parents in reviewing and deciding on child care for their child.

Team Tennessee was formed to address the socio-emotional needs of young children and to further develop professional training about early brain development and the critical importance of socio-emotional learning and behavioral health during the preschool years. University and technical school training integrates concepts and strategies for socio-emotional learning into the degree and certificate programs offered by state institutions.

Through a special grant, regional training and technical assistance staff work with licensed child care and pre-K programs to implement and integrate socio-emotional techniques developed by the Center for Socio-Emotional Foundation in Early Learning. The goal of these interventions is to improve teacher-student interactions with a positive approach to addressing emotional behavior resulting in children having the social tools necessary for school.

The Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting Initiative was launched in 2011 in Tennessee focusing on establishing and strengthening evidence based home visiting services for at- risk families through community based programs in counties most at risk based on the needs assessment completed by TN Department of Health – Maternal and Child Health section.

Five pilot programs in Davidson, Shelby, Hamilton, Maury, and Campbell counties have been funded. A special project targeting military families living off base in Montgomery County (Fort Campbell area) is also being implemented under MIECHV. These funded projects are now called the Healthier Beginnings projects.

The Parents Know Kids Grow website was launched in 2010 as an independent information source for families with young children. It provides links to licensed child care facilities based on zip codes, general parenting information and resources for healthy brain development in young children. The website is affiliated with Signal Centers of Chattanooga and the CCR and Rs.