In 2019, the city of Memphis, Shelby County, First 8 Memphis, the Urban Child Institute, and the Community Outcomes Fund at Maycomb Capital launched a public-private partnership. The partnership utilizes outcomes-based financing to enable the city and county government to align their funds with outcomes in the community, in particular helping to ensure that pre-K students are on track and on grade level when they head into kindergarten. The near-term goal of the partnership is to expand high-quality pre-K to every low-income child in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the long-term objective is kindergarten readiness and future educational success for every child.

I recently spoke with Dr. Kandace Thomas, whom I have come to know as a close collaborator and partner, about the importance of early childhood education, and the unique challenges this project has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Thomas is a leader in child development with a focus on children’s social and emotional well-being. She is the executive director of First 8, an organization founded to integrate best practices that support at-risk children from birth through age 8 to provide the building blocks of cognitive, behavioral, and social skills, and ultimately the basis for long-term success.

Q: This year marks the third year of this project together. Dr. Thomas, let’s start with the big picture. Can you share a little bit about why pre-K matters?

Kandace Thomas (KT): Pre-K is such a necessary learning experience to help young children establish the cornerstones of lifelong learning. Pre-K also provides the opportunity for students to become accustomed to a school environment by interacting with teachers and classmates, practicing listening skills, and practicing self-regulation skills.

In Shelby County, approximately 45 percent of children live in poverty, and we know the benefits of pre-K are even more vital in historically oppressed communities. Unfortunately, there are many, many more students that need pre-K services than there are seats available; in 2019, when this program began, 1,000 pre-K seats were set to disappear due to an expiring federal grant.

Read the full article about reshaping pre-K after the pandemic by Simone Gross at Brookings.