The Chattanooga City Council has unanimously approved the use of two grants worth more than $2 million combined to provide early child care services to 318 Chattanooga children.
A grant for $826,000 will fund services to 184 children through the Head Start/Early Head Start grant in collaboration with several Chattanooga early childcare centers from July 2021 through June 2022.
Of that total, $323,000 will fund childcare to 118 3- and 4-year-old children in Head Start classrooms for 173 days, while 66 infants and toddlers will be funded in Early Head Start classrooms for 233 days at a cost of about $503,000.
Child care centers involved include Chambliss Center for Children, Childcare Network at Redlands Drive, Childcare Network at Hamill Road, Children's Academy for Education and Learning, Hope City, Maurice Kirby Day Care Center and Signal Centers.
(READ MORE: Chambliss Center for Children's departing CEO oversaw decades of change in Chattanooga)
The $1.2 million Early Head Start Expansion grant will serve 134 toddlers and infants for 240 days from September 2021 through August 2022 in collaboration with Chambliss Center for Children, Maurice Kirby Day Care Center, Newton Center, Hope City, Childcare Network on Redlands Drive and Signal Centers.
The federally-funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which fall under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provide supports and services for low-income families of children up to age 5.
The centers working in collaboration with the programs are either new or earned three-star ratings, the highest ratings given to early childcare centers per the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
Contact Anika Chaturvedi at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.