Washington County Schools announces community child care program

Washington County Schools Board of Education officials are planning to use $500,000 in economic development grant funding to create a new community child care program. The board approved two Memorandums of Understanding during Thursday's regular meeting outlining a partnership with the Washington County Economic Development Council (WCEDC) and the First Tennessee Development District (FTTD) to establish a new child care facility in a repurposed building owned by the school system. Lexi Vance, an economic development specialist representing the WCEDC, told school board members the program could serve up to 100 children when it opens by 2028, though that figure remains tentative pending building assessments and fire marshal inspections. "Washington County faces a shortage of affordable, high quality child care slots," Vance said in a presentation. "This creates barriers for working families, impacting local workforce participation and decreasing school readiness for children entering the public school system." The proposed child care center would prioritize enrollment for families employed by the school system and employers in Washington County's Industrial Park area. Additional funding for expansion could be pursued once a child care provider is identified to administer the program, according to officials. "[In terms of] whether we would manage the program or contract someone to do that, that's another decision that could be made later. There are examples in school systems where they contract a third party to run a child care program under their umbrella," Superintendent Jerry Boyd noted. "We can have that conversation." Boyd said the district is also currently exploring its options for the program's location. He said the board is now "involved in a full review of the best use" of the old Jonesborough Elementary School building, which might include some space for the child care program. "The old JES building does have potential space for the program," Boyd told the Press. "However, the space may ultimately be at another location owned by the board, once the plan for the use of the old JES building is finalized." Vance noted the project will include a career and technical education (CTE) component, with the aim of exposing high school students to early childhood education careers through the district's Teaching as a Profession (TAP) training program. "It would be an opportunity for our high school students to actually get a direct experience in the child care environment," Boyd said. Vance said the project overall aims to address a critical workforce challenge in Washington County, where child care costs prevent many parents from entering or remaining in the workforce. "Child care is such a huge cost for families that a lot of people can't afford to work because most of their paycheck would go to childcare," she said, noting the project encourages the re-entry of stay-at-home parents into the labor force.