Tennessee Children’s Cabinet Launches Statewide School Readiness Model and kidcentraltn.com

Nashville, TN – The Governor’s Children’s Cabinet co-chaired by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam today launched two major initiatives: the Tennessee School Readiness Model and kidcentraltn.com.

The first lady introduced both projects at the Early Childhood Summit in Nashville.

“We are thrilled to launch these initiatives to help support Tennessee families in raising healthy children,” Mrs. Haslam said. “Students can be more successful in school and life when they enter the classroom healthy and prepared to learn.”The Tennessee School Readiness Model describes goals to help Tennessee students enter the classroom prepared to learn. It provides indicators of what communities, schools and families need to do to promote children’s early learning and development.

“Readiness” is not seen solely as a condition within a child but is a condition that exists when communities, schools, and families create a nurturing environment for child development starting at birth.

Kidcentraltn.com is a one-stop shop for Tennessee families to connect with important information and resources provided by state departments. This new website organizes content from across departments, making it easier for families to find what they need. In addition to articles about valuable topics relating to health, education and development, kidcentraltn.com features a comprehensive directory of state services for children and families.

“I am grateful to the many parents, teachers, child care providers, state employees, and other stakeholders that participated in these projects,” Governor Haslam said. “Our goal is to make these resources and information more accessible and useful to Tennessee families.”

A priority of the Children’s Cabinet is to coordinate, streamline and enhance initiatives across multiple departments to empower, educate, and engage Tennessee families. The School Readiness Model and kidcentraltn.com are specific examples of the collaborative vision and leadership of the Children’s Cabinet and this administration.