Bright Start TN
A promising start for Chattanooga/Hamilton County
Chattanooga 2.0, the cradle-to-career collaborative of Chattanooga-Hamilton County, is coordinating the Bright Start TN Chattanooga/Hamilton County partnership. Bright Start TN builds on the foundational work that has already taken place as part of Chattanooga 2.0’s Early Matters – Hamilton County’s early childhood strategy action team that has been working to create a coordinated early childhood system for the last five years.
Explore the Early Matters: 2025 Early Childhood Action Plan at chatt2.org/brightstart/.
“We are proud to be a partner in the work to better equip children with the skills to be successful in school and life. In Hamilton County Schools, we aim for all children to thrive and experience a future without limits. We know this starts before students enter kindergarten. It takes everyone in the community working together to support early childhood development. We appreciate the efforts of the Bright Start TN Network to coordinate and align child-serving organizations.”
– Justin Robertson, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools
Chattanooga/Hamilton County Leadership Team
Jennifer Andrews
Bright Start Fellow, Director of Early Childhood Strategies for Chattanooga 2.0
Tracy Bryant
Deputy Program Officer, Signal Centers Inc.
Jessica Cliché
Director of Community Education & Engagement, La Paz Chattanooga
Allen Coffman
Pediatrician, Highland Pediatrics
Jayne Griffen
Director of Education, Creative Discovery Museum
Katie Harbison
President/CEO, Chambliss Center for Children
Heather Hicks
Executive Director, Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)
Jenny Hill
Councilwoman, Chattanooga City Council
Lee Hope
Head of Children’s & Youth Services, Chattanooga Public Library
Karitsa Jones
Community Forward Program Director, City of Chattanooga
Kristen McCallie
Executive Director, HC Children’s Advocacy Center
Celeste McKenzie
MidTown Schools Exceptional Education Supervisor, Hamilton County Schools
Katie Growden
Tennessee State Manager, Save the Children Action Network
Neelie Parker
Chief of Schools, Hamilton County Schools
Dr. Jeffrey Wilson
Pastor, New United Baptist Church
