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Wamp initiative funded by ending literacy program not hitting goals

Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Jami Gutierrez, program coordinator for the Hamilton County Center for Thriving Families is interviewed inside , the Hamilton County Courthouse.
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Jami Gutierrez, program coordinator for the Hamilton County Center for Thriving Families is interviewed inside , the Hamilton County Courthouse.

By Kailee Shores 13 min read


In 2024, Hamilton County defunded the Read 20 literacy program and redirected its $344,000 budget to launch the Center for Thriving Families, billed as a program to help connect parents of children from birth to age 5 with social services and parenting support.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp introduced the program as one of his key initiatives in his 2024 State of the County address, saying the strength of the county will be measured by the well-being of its families.

“If we will channel the civic courage of those who built this community and lean into our strengths, there will be thriving families on the banks of the Tennessee River for generations to come,” Wamp said in the speech.

Wamp initiative funded by ending well-known literacy program not hitting goals

Staff file photo / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp held his second state of the county address at the Tennessee Aquarium on March 28, 2024. He announced plans to launch a Center for Thriving Families.
Staff file photo / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp held his second state of the county address at the Tennessee Aquarium on March 28, 2024. He announced plans to launch a Center for Thriving Families.
Staff file photo / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp held his second state of the county address at the Tennessee Aquarium on March 28, 2024. He announced plans to launch a Center for Thriving Families.
Staff file photo / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp held his second state of the county address at the Tennessee Aquarium on March 28, 2024. He announced plans to launch a Center for Thriving Families.
Staff file photo / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp held his second state of the county address at the Tennessee Aquarium on March 28, 2024. He announced plans to launch a Center for Thriving Families.
Staff file photo / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp held his second state of the county address at the Tennessee Aquarium on March 28, 2024. He announced plans to launch a Center for Thriving Families.
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Jami Gutierrez, program coordinator for the Hamilton County Center for Thriving Families is interviewed inside , the Hamilton County Courthouse.
Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / Jami Gutierrez, program coordinator for the Hamilton County Center for Thriving Families is interviewed inside , the Hamilton County Courthouse.

Eighteen months into the program’s tenure, the Chattanooga Times Free Press set out to determine whether it had met the targets outlined in its 2025 strategic plan. The plan listed several goals to accomplish by November 2025.