NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In Nashville's Napier Place and Sudekum Apartments, hundreds of children live in a community where licensed in-home childcare businesses are virtually impossible to establish. But an innovative program is changing that reality.
Through my extensive reporting on the lack of childcare options for Tennessee families, regulatory hurdles have become apparent. I've been looking for creative solutions that help Middle Tennessee families with young kids.
Travis Claybrooks and the Raphah Institute are behind the Early Embrace program. With $1.8 million in American Rescue Plan funds, it is helping residents of the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency community start in-home childcare businesses. Program leaders teach everything from pedagogy and instructional strategies to record-keeping.
"To be a licensed home-based provider requires you to meet a lot of particular standards that no one on an MDHA property would be able to do, not because they couldn't out of desire, not because they couldn't develop their expertise, but there are structural requirements just regarding the place they live in that an MDHA property would never meet the standard that DHS has," said Travis Claybrooks, whose Raphah Institute is addressing this challenge.
When I asked the Tennessee Department of Human Services about regulatory barriers, a spokesperson explained that there are some rules that all home-based child care providers must adhere to across several agencies. These regulations are meant to make sure care is offered in an environment that is safe and healthy. For rental spaces, the property owners may have additional requirements.
Birthing the idea
Claybrooks was a Metro Nashville Police Department officer. When he was an authority figure in the community, his friendliness put people at ease, allowing him to get a grasp on what people needed.
"I rarely saw criminals. Almost never. What I did see was people trying to figure out how to survive, how to survive intense poverty in the absence of resources," Claybrooks said.
The Raphah Institute's flagship program focuses on restorative justice for teenagers.
"As we began working with these young people, we began to see and interact with their siblings — their young siblings, two and three year olds — who were also in the home, the parents, and we could see that this 15-year-old did not get a great early start because we look at their three-year-old sibling, and this is where they were 12 years ago," Claybrooks said.
Claybrooks explained that a poor start in early childhood can play a major role in why teens end up involved in the legal system and the diversion program. That realization sparked the creation of Early Embrace, their initiative to support parents and younger children, so they, too, can avoid getting into trouble.
The participants in the program
Decarya Andrews is one of the first 20 graduates of Early Embrace to officially establish her business and watch children.
She was proud to tell us her business, Decarya's Professional Services, is registered with the IRS.
"After everything I'm going through, I'm able to help somebody else. And, I've been in some shoes of the parents," Andrews said.
On and off, Andrews has lived in Napier Place over the years. She's experienced life's highs and lows while living there, like the loss of her oldest child. Her son, Demonte Jones, was a student studying accounting and professional studies at Austin Peay University in Clarksville when he was hit by a car and killed in June 2020.
"He was walking home, and it started raining, and he was hit head-on by a driver. He was killed instantly. It took a couple of days to be notified because he didn't have identification on him," Andrews said.
The grief was paralyzing.
When she received an invitation to participate in Early Embrace, life started to turn around.
"It said that it teaches you how to challenge your grief, life imbalances, and everything, and how to become a successful business owner," Andrews said.
Reaching other communities
Right now, there are countless families across the state struggling to find childcare.
As mentioned, in public housing communities, not only are parents finding that hard because of a shortage of available spots, but also due to unique industry constraints.
There are 183 children aged zero to three in the Napier-Sudekum neighborhood that Early Embrace is working to reach.
"If it could happen on MDHA properties, what if we went into Bellevue, or Belle Meade? Because we know it does not matter your socioeconomic status. There just aren't enough seats available, period," Claybrooks said.
Childcare solutions can transform communities. Has your family struggled to find affordable, quality childcare? Or do you know innovative solutions working in your neighborhood? Watch Hannah McDonald's full report to see this program in action, and share your childcare experiences or questions at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
The line ''see something, say something" took on new meaning recently in Bowling Green. Two alert neighbors helped tip police to stolen Corvettes from the nearby assembly plant. That led law enforcement to find 8 stolen Corvettes worth over $1 million. We may all be able to learn a little lesson from this.
-Lelan Statom
