About Us
Shelby County's Early Childhood Education (ECE) Plan was established in 2015 by a diverse steering committee of public and private stakeholders representing local/state education, local government, local/state/national early childhood education experts, business leaders, and philanthropists. Seeding Success worked with local and national experts to create First 8 Memphis in 2019 to implement key strategies of the ECE Plan, including home visitation, high-quality childcare, shared services, full needs-based Pre-K, K-2 interventions, family supports, and shared data infrastructure.
Mission, Vision & Values
Mission
First 8 Memphis leads and convenes our community in advocating for investments that nurture and educate our youngest learners.
Vision
First 8 Memphis envisions a community where every child has the resources to thrive.
Values
Integrity
Service
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We strive to act with integrity. We are honest with ourselves, our colleagues, and our partners, and we feel a deep responsibility to do what’s right for the young children and their families in our community. When we say we will do something, we follow through. We know children are depending on us. We hold ourselves accountable to a high standard, bringing our best selves to our work. We aim to be reliable and true to our word.
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We see honor in service to others. We are passionate about supporting young children and their families, eliminating barriers to access, and providing resources to those who need them most. We put young children first always, and we seek to find solutions that make our community more equitable. We recognize that we are partners within communities, not outside of them, and our approach to the work reflects this.
Authenticity
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We give our whole selves to this work because we believe our diverse identities make us better at what we do. We are passionate about our mission, and we know that our unique perspectives strengthen our service. We welcome differences and celebrate them, acknowledging that we must be reflective of the communities we serve in all capacities. We strive to foster comfort and confidence in being our authentic selves, openly and always.
Equity
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At the core of our work is a commitment to creating a more equitable and just community for young children and their families. We strive to disrupt the historic and present-day, oppressive systems that perpetuate poverty, racism, and stratification through our systems-building work. We advocate for policies and practices that increase equitable access to high-quality services and support for all families.
Courage
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We must advocate courageously for what young children and their families need to thrive. It is our job to serve as a voice for our community's youngest residents and hold policymakers, funders, and community leaders accountable as we collectively work to ensure their strong start. This means being brave enough to know that meeting the needs of young children is the strongest investment our community can make.
The Role of First 8 Memphis:
We partner with the City of Memphis and Shelby County government to support, coordinate, and administer funding for a comprehensive, universal needs-based Pre-K program.
We are conveners, leaders, and advocates working to improve systems for early childhood care and education.
We work directly with operators and partners across Shelby County to support quality programs and services.
Since launching in 2019, First 8 Memphis has:
Increased Pre-K seats from 7,800 in 2019 to 8,500, and expanded available needs-based seats from classrooms from 1,360 in 2019 to 1,600.
Managed the City and County’s historic $14M investment in 2021-22 for an improved Pre-K data infrastructure that increases transparency and accountability through data collection and reporting
Established a neutral outcomes financing structure for future projects
Leveraged $22.5M from local/national partners to support ECE programs, including instructional coaching for every Pre-K classroom and family wraparound services
Accelerated community performance measures for Pre-K achievement, including continuous performance improvement reviews of teaching/ learning practices & family wraparound services
Increased access through the pandemic with nearly $150,000 in COVID-19 grants to provide program funding and technology devices/ services to operators
First 8 Memphis was created to help achieve equity and opportunity across two generations. Our system ensures a more successful transition from Pre-K to K-12 to college and career.
View our Outcomes Financing Fact Sheet: A Public-Private Partnership For High-Quality Pre-K In Memphis and Shelby County.