Statements

Mission

Our mission is to provide affordable and accessible high-quality childcare while empowering families to reach their fullest potential. We continuously work to achieve our mission through our core values: Teaching Children, Empowering Families, Strengthening the Community.

Background

Created in 1891 by Ms. Fannie Battle, the Fannie Battle Day Home for Children is the second oldest childcare center in Tennessee. Our organization grew out of an incident where Miss Battle, witnessed an accident involving a small child who was left unattended while his single mother worked. She recognized the effort parents were making to provide for their family, but also the challenges the family faced in having to also provide care. As a result, she began caring for children in her home in Nashville and would barter with families for her service.

Our mission to provide accessible and affordable high-quality childcare while empowering families to reach their fullest potential. As directed by our board, our center reserves 70% of our enrollment capabilities to serving children living in economically disadvantaged homes. Quality childcare is important for all children, but for children living in economically disadvantaged homes, it is even more critical because of the impact this environment can have on learning.

Of all the barriers that keep families in a generational cycle of poverty, access to quality childcare is one of the most significant. Tennessee ranks among the sixth highest states for childcare as a percentage of household income. For many families, this renders quality care as completely inaccessible to the families who need quality childcare the most. Compounding the need for care is a body of research addressing the impact of adverse childhood experiences. These experiences - poverty, witnessing community violence, parental separation or divorce, incarceration of a parent, and family dysfunction - can cause responses in a developing brain that have long-term negative effects on health and wellness. However, this research also shows that these negative effects can be mitigated by providing young children with high-quality, nurturing environments.

Strong communities are built by strong families and at Fannie Battle we believe in all families as having the potential to grow, succeed, and contribute to the strength of our neighborhoods. When we work to eliminate the barriers that keep families from succeeding, we are making our community a better place for everyone.

Impact

Today, we serve over 115 children in seven classrooms ranging from six weeks to twelve years. Around 55% of our children qualify for free or reduced meals and of these children, the majority are from single-parent, minority households. All of our classrooms offer research-based curriculum, enrichment programming, and opportunities for family engagement.
These programs include:
* Infant and Toddler serves 36 children ages six weeks through two years in four classrooms (infant, toddler, and two two-year old rooms). The classrooms use the Frog Street Curriculum that includes a social-emotional component in addition to development and academic goals. Enrichment programming includes music and movement (where developmentally appropriate). Children are assessed throughout the year to ensure development and provide additional supports where necessary. Based on the success of our preschool Read to Succeed classrooms, we replicated this same design in our Infant and Toddler program. Today, these classrooms benefit from an Instructional Coach who provides teacher coaching and support, collects child data, creates family programming, and enhances programming through literacy-based extended activities.
* Our preschool program consists of two classrooms serving 32 children ages three through five years. These classrooms utilize the Frog Street Curriculum and children participate in activities that are designed to support kindergarten readiness. The classrooms utilize standardized, developmentally appropriate assessments that are reliable indicators of child development and drive programming. The preschool classrooms also have a dedicated Instructional Coach who provides teacher coaching and support, collects child data, creates family programming and kindergarten transition plans, and provides enhanced literacy supports.
* The school age program currently serves 26 children ages five through ten. Children have access to before and after-school care with a focus on homework assistance in the afternoons. During school holidays and summer break, full-time care is provided with an emphasis on reading skills and enrichment activities that includes swimming lessons, movement, music, science, and the arts.

We provide opportunities for family engagement designed by our program directors and staff, as well as family support through our Family Empowerment Program (FEP). Our Family Coach designs five to eight different events throughout the year that focus on parent education and development, as well as specific programs based on the children and families they serve. In addition, families have access to case management services through the FEP: a partnership between Fannie Battle, Martha O'Bryan Center, Department of Human Services, and United Way of Greater Nashville. The program uses a two-generation framework to provide services to families that include budgeting and financial planning, job advancement, access to education, housing assistance, health and well-being, social capital and goal setting.

In early 2019, we launched a pilot program dedicated to serving children of two long-time charter school partners. Directors at both schools were feeling the impact of teachers who were unable to return to work after having children because of the lack of accessible care. We saw this as a detriment to our students where having consistency in care directly impacts academic outcomes. As a result, we converted a teacher workroom into a classroom for eight children ages six weeks to thirty months.

Needs

We rely on donations and fundraising to support over half of our operating budget. Financial contributions from individuals, businesses, and foundations play a critical role in fulfilling our mission. Volunteers are essential to our organization. We have a variety of ways that individuals and groups can contribute - reading to children, homework help, assisting teachers, or even leading a special class or project . In-kind donations that might include school supplies, Thanksgiving baskets, hats and gloves, or family support during the holidays are just a few of the ways that our community can assist our families and children.

CEO Statement

For more than 130 years, Fannie Battle Day Home for Children has maintained its singular mission to improve the lives of children and their families by providing high-quality, affordable childcare. The need for early childhood education services and support for economically disadvantaged families is perhaps as great a need today as it has ever been. Although our community's demographics, economy, and recognition on a national have changed, Fannie Battle remains a vital and consistent voice on the importance of early education and its role as an invaluable resource to Nashville residents. We are grateful for the generosity of the Nashville community that has provided a lifeline for thousands of Fannie Battle children and families over the years.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Child Day Care
Secondary Category:	Education  - Preschools
Tertiary Category:	Youth Development  - Youth Development Programs

Areas Served

We do not limit services to a geographic area, although our families typically reside in Davidson County, with a large majority living in and around the 37206 zip code. Our school age program partners with public and charter schools within the East Nashville community.

TN - Davidson