Early Childhood Education Resources
The Alliance works to ensure that all youth have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs by engaging public will to increase public and private investment in afterschool program initiatives at the national, state, and local levels.
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
ACEI is committed to ensuring children’s access to quality education worldwide. They create programs and projects that support pre-primary to primary school-age children so they can learn, grow, and develop optimally. ACEI collaborates with teachers, education leaders, families, community leaders, health professionals, government agencies, the private sector, and civil society organizations to provide innovative solutions that enhance learning and development for all children.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is focused on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country.
Child Care WAGE$® Tennessee rewards Early Childhood Educators with financial incentives based on their education and continuity of employment. By increasing teacher retention, WAGE$ provides children with more stable relationships and better-educated teachers. WAGE$ addresses individual professional development efforts and low wages, but does not affect budgets, regular wages or parent fees within the child care program.
Columbia State Community College (COSCC)
Columbia State Community College nurtures success and positively changes lives through teaching, learning and service. Columbia State serves a nine-county area in Middle Tennessee: Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Hickman, Marshall, Maury, Perry, Wayne and Williamson. COSCC offers an associates degree in Early Childhood Education.
Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition (CDA Council)
The Council for Professional Recognition promotes improved performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children ages birth to 5 years old. The Council works to ensure that all professional early childhood educators and caregivers meet the developmental, emotional and educational needs of our nation’s youngest children. Visit the CDA Council website for more information on the requirements for obtaining the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential.
kidcentral TN is a free, one-stop resource for Tennessee families to raise healthy and happy kids. Created by the Governor's Children's Cabinet, kidcentral tn features articles on health, education, development, and more. It also includes a searchable directory for state-sponsored services for children and families.
Nashville State Community College
Founded in 1970, Nashville State Community College has been dedicated to bringing affordable and accessible higher education to Middle Tennessee for decades. Today, Nashville State continues to prepare students for success with several campuses across Tennessee. NSCC offers a technical certificate and associates degrees in Early Childhood Education.
National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI)
The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs to improve and support the capacity of state systems and local programs to implement an early childhood multi-tiered system of support to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children with, and at risk for, developmental disabilities or delays. The goals of the Center are to assist states and programs in their implementation of sustainable systems for the implementation of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Pyramid Model) within early intervention and early education programs with a focus on promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children birth to five, reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, promoting family engagement, using data for decision-making, integrating early childhood and infant mental health consultation and fostering inclusion.
Tennessee Child Care Resource & Referral Service (CCR&R)
The TN CCR&R provides free childhood resources to families, child care professionals, employers, and the community that support quality child care for Tennessee's youngest children.
Tennessee Department of Human Services Child Care Services
Child Care Services plans, implements, and coordinates activities and programs to ensure quality, and the health and safety of children in licensed care. Child Care Services includes Child and Adult Care Licensing, Child Care Payment Assistance (Smart Steps and the Child Care Certificate Program), Child Care Assessment and other partner programs. DHS is committed to promoting early childhood environments that are safe, healthy, and educationally rich.