Do you have a pre-K success story that you'd like to share?
Submit your story here.
*Please note that by submitting your story to the Alliance, you are granting the Alliance permission to use your story in materials promoting pre-K in Tennessee, including the Alliance Web site, news articles, printed pieces, etc. What Tennessee's Pre-K Providers Are Saying
From Knox County
“All of our students are eager to come to school every day. They have become independent and self-sufficient learners away from their parents. We have begun to work with some ‘inclusion' students in our buildings to acclimate them to a ‘regular' classroom before they begin kindergarten. Our pre-K program is a wonderful gift to the children of Knox County! Thank you for making it possible!”
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| Judy Hiscock, Ph.D., pre-K teacher |
| Anderson Pre-K Center, Knox County |
| One lottery-funded pre-K class |
From McMinn County
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“… Our program is a collaboration among Adult Education, Even Start, Head Start, Local Funding, Special Education, Title I, and Pre-K Tennessee - all committed to providing quality preschool education to the at-risk students in our community … It certainly has been interesting starting a school, from scratch, in about a month! We feel our school represents the legislature's vision for pre-K in Tennessee , and we invite all visitors to come see us!”
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Janey Morris, principal
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Four Star Academy, McMinn County |
Four lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From White County
“Our family engagement program is one of our greatest strengths. We conduct monthly Parent Seminar meetings which focus on topics such as child nutrition, child safety, kindergarten transition, etc. We require that a parent of each pre-K student attends each monthly meeting. We also require that a parent of each student spends at least one hour per month volunteering in the pre-K classroom. This piece of our program is going well, but it does require a great deal of time for follow-up ... Because we require that parents sign an agreement to participate in the Parent Seminar meetings and to conduct the volunteer activities at the time they submit an application and because we are persistent in following up with parents, we are able to achieve 100 percent parent participation.”
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Karen Benningfield,
federal programs director/grant writer
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| Board of Education, White County |
| Three lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From Blount County
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“Our Alcoa Elementary pre-K program has built lasting relationships with our parents. We have done this by: Home Visits … ‘Lunch with a loved one,' when every parent is invited twice a year to eat lunch with their child. … Fun Fridays … Communication … Basically, our parents feel welcome, important, and loved. Our success story with our parents becomes the success story of Alcoa City Schools.”
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Kristin Whelahan, pre-K teacher
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Alcoa Elementary School, Blount County |
One lottery-funded pre-K class |
From Dyer County
“Through collaboration with Northwest Tennessee Head Start we were able to share student lists and make sure that both programs were able to serve as many eligible students as possible. Trainings have been offered and attended through the TETCA programs and Northwest Child Care Programs. Each meeting has been positive and productive to all involved. Parent meetings have been well attended. Positive changes have been implemented based on suggestions from the Advisory Board meetings. Parents of students in the Pre-K program have been more involved in school activities.”
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| Sandy Baker, pre-K director |
| Dyersburg City Schools, Dyer County |
| Two lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From Fentress County
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“The Fentress Fours Program in Fentress County has been a wonderful addition to our school system. We have been able to collaborate with the Special Education Preschool which was already in place and serving children with developmental delays. By adding the state grant program it has provided children on both sides of the spectrum with wonderful role models and peers …” |
Sandy Conaster, Preschool Coordinator
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Fentress County Schools |
Four lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From Bradley County
“… Bradley County and Cleveland City Schools formed a partnership with the state's pre-K program and Head Start to create a solution to deal with this challenge where it starts! This became a win/win for all groups for some of the following reasons: Head Start receives certified teachers, which will help them to meet their pending 2011 mandate; Public schools receive the experience, additional staff, training and funding that Head Start has to offer; State pre-K receives a successful collaboration to critique, build upon and model to other potential collaborators.” |
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David Kelley, Head Start Director |
| Southeast Tennessee |
| Nine lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From Clay County
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“… In addition, we already have families calling wanting their child's name on the list for next school year, so they will not get left out …
… Hermitage Springs Pre-K is proud of their partnership with the high school students who are taking early childhood and parenting classes. This is a P-12 school housed in the same building where the students just have to walk down the hall to serve the pre-K class. The students are working with Ms. Hurst to coordinate their lesson plans with hers to assist in teaching numbers, letters and colors.” |
Anna Locke, Supervisor
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Clay County Schools Pre-K Program |
Two lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From White County
“… The pre-K program is set up to give low-income students the main basics to then succeed in kindergarten …”
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Stacey Cunningham, pre-K teacher
Woodland Park Elementary, White County
Three lottery-funded pre-K classes
From Carroll County
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“The teachers have worked miracles and changed the lives of the children in our three classrooms. I wish the governor and legislature could know what a powerful impact the funding has made.” |
Leanne Bailey, principal |
Huntingdon Primary School, Carroll County |
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Three lottery-funded pre-K classes
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From Smith County
“All I can say is that this has been a wonderful experience for the children, parents, and me. This is my 16th year of teaching school, and there is no doubt that I have enjoyed this one the most.”
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Ellie Spike, pre-K teacher
Forks River School, Smith County
One lottery funded pre-K class
From Wilson County
| “The Lebanon Special School District … was awarded four pre-K grants this year. Three classrooms were set in school facilities, and one classroom became a collaboration with Cumberland University . The CU/LSSD Pre-K sits on the university campus. This collaboration between Lebanon Special School District and Cumberland University serves both the students of the district and the departments of the university. CU education students can observe in the classroom as well as do student teaching experiences. CU nursing department aids the pre-K program by providing health services needed for all the pre-K students. The campus is used for Parent/Family Night meetings conducted monthly to educate, inform, and equip parents. The CU library is available to the pre-K families for story time and literature. … The four state-funded classrooms combined with the three classrooms we already had in place allow us to serve 140 children, even though we had a major obstacle of not being able to provide transportation this year. … Success is the smile on the child's face because he/she is learning and happy.” |
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Penny Thompson, Instructional Coordinator |
| Lebanon Special School District, Wilson County |
| Four lottery-funded pre-K classes |
From Hamilton County
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“On October 31, 2005, United Way of Chattanooga distributed ‘My First Dictionary' to every pre-K student in the Hamilton County school system. Linda McReynolds, vice president of organizational development had asked me what United Way could do for the pre-K students in Hamilton County. We did some brainstorming and several days later Linda called and said that United Way wanted to give every pre-K student a dictionary which would be a gift that the students could use for years to come. Members of United Way went to each of the 32 pre-K classes and personally gave each student (640) a ‘My First Dictionary,' bookmark, a pass to the Creative Discovery Museum, and an application for a library card. Several members of United Way serve on our Pre-K Advisory Council and have been very supportive of our efforts to bring pre-K to Hamilton County. Many of the pre-K students have signed up to get books through the Project Ready for School, a United Way program, which is supported by the governor's plan to get books to our students and to preschool students in Hamilton County. Hamilton County 's slogan for our pre-K program is ‘A Great Beginning Lasts a Lifetime.'”
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Brenda L. Benford, Ed.D., Director of Pre-K/Even Start |
Department of Education, Hamilton County |
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Thirteen lottery-funded pre-K classes
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From Davidson County
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“Teaching pre-kindergarten is so rewarding. Not only are these children better prepared academically for kindergarten, they are now prepared emotionally and socially. I feel that we have instilled in them a love for learning that will grow with them throughout their school years. I am proud to be a part of this wonderful, worthwhile program.”
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Angela Welsh, pre-K teacher |
Haywood Elementary, Davidson County |
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One lottery-funded pre-K class |
| Do you have a pre-K success story that you'd like to share? Submit your story here. *Please note that by submitting your story to the Alliance, you are granting the Alliance permission to use your story in materials promoting pre-K in Tennessee, including the Alliance Web site, news articles, printed pieces, etc. |
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