8.4 Public-Private Partnerships

Lead Agencies must demonstrate how they encourage partnerships among other public agencies, Tribal organizations, private entities, faith-based organizations, businesses, or organizations that promote business involvement, and/or community-based organizations to leverage existing service delivery (i.e., cooperative agreement among providers to pool resources to pay for shared fixed costs and operation) to leverage existing child care and early education service delivery systems and to increase the supply and quality of child care services for children younger than age 13. 8.4.1 Lead Agency public-private partnerships Identify and describe any public-private partnerships encouraged by the Lead Agency to leverage public and private resources to further the goals of CCDF: The Lead Agency partners with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) to identify, cultivate, and facilitate national, state, and local business partners and suppliers to offer negotiated price reductions and competitive pricing for resources meaningful to the operation of high-quality child care services. The Lead Agency recognizes that these and other opportunities enable child care providers to realize greater cost savings on products and services regularly used to deliver high-quality child care. CFMT also administers a voluntary registration process for providers of substitute educator services on behalf of the Lead Agency, to facilitate and strengthen the availability of qualified substitute educators for child care providers licensed by the Lead Agency. The Lead Agency is implementing pilot partnerships with public/government and non-profit organizations to develop and establish locally managed child care administrative hubs that support a network of newly licensed child care providers through its Community Child Care Hub Grants pilot program. This pilot program is intended to increase licensed capacity in child care deserts and for historically underserved populations; low administrative costs to lessen financial burdens on families; and deliver care that is safe, health, and educationally rich. Current partners with the Lead Agency include Chambliss Center for Children, Porter-Leath, and St. Mary Villa Child Development Center. The Lead Agency is investing state dollars to grow child care capacity and access in Tennessee through its Non-Profit/Employer Workforce (NEW) Care Partnership Grant pilot program. The pilot program supports partnerships between non-profit organizations and private employers to design and implement strategies that create child care access and capacity to serve the employer’s workforce. The NEW Care Partnership pilot seeks to increase licensed capacity particularly in child care deserts and for historically underserved populations; improve financial sustainability of child care providers by leveraging private partnerships; and promote care that is safe, healthy, and educationally rich. The Lead Agency also serves on the State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) for the Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS), a voluntary program that offers therapy and other services to infants and young children with development delays or disabilities. The SICC for TEIS has established a guiding vision to support the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (TDDA) through a statewide comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in Tennessee. This council is statutorily created and required by law. The Lead Agency coordinates with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (TDCS) allowing TDCS to make direct arrangements with the Lead Agency for child care payment assistance for children in foster care or protective services. The Lead Agency is granted limited access to the Child Abuse Registry maintained by TDCS for purposes of completing in-state abuse registry checks on prospective child care staff. The Lead Agency serves on Tennessee’s Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) board administered by TDCS. The Lead Agency partners with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) to support improving and expanding child care services licensed by the Lead Agency with emphasis on early care and education and industry partnerships. The Lead Agency is focused on engaging Tennessee employers to invest in their workforce through innovative care strategies. These strategies include a web of resources and supports that can be tailored to fit the diverse needs of employers interested in establishing child care incentives for their employees. Child care partnerships between the public and private sectors can take many forms to best meet the needs of employers, employees, and communities, and the Lead Agency is facilitating its support for employer-led efforts that bolster and expand Tennessee’s child care system. The Lead Agency continues implementing relationship-building and engagement through activities that include community stakeholder meetings, informational sessions, marketing and communications materials, and participation in local child care task forces. Since July 2021, the Lead Agency has engaged in outreach activities with over 200 organizations, including employers, local governments, chambers of commerce, other state agencies, and economic development districts. The Lead Agency facilitates access for Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) staff to the eLicensing documentation system to record data about child care providers regulated by TDOE. This partnership enables information about these providers to be available for parents and the general public through the Lead Agency’s Child Care Locator at https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/for-families/child-care-services/find-child-care.html. The Lead Agency collaborates with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) regarding provider, parent, and general consumer education focused on safe sleep practices and preventing SIDS. Raising awareness of parents and providers about safe sleep practices aligns with the Office of Child Care priorities to support child health and safety and aligns with a focus on enhancing the quality of services available for infant populations.