First 8 Memphis
The supportive backbone, comprised of Seeding Success, Porter-Leath, and SCS Division of Early Learning and Head Start will guide and evaluate the system to ensure effectiveness, quality, and efficiency.
Paving a Path to Success
Early childhood education is essential to the long-term success of students and families. Strong support during the formative years propels children toward optimal development, school readiness, and academic achievement. Since 2015, early childhood partners and operators have collectively worked together to create a system of support for children prenatal to age 8.
First 8 Memphis was founded to establish a strong educational base for every child in Shelby County and is the first to align Shelby County’s early home visitations programs, quality childcare, prekindergarten programs, kindergarten to 3rd-grade social services, and summer learning supports. F8M’s early childhood continuum transforms Memphis and Shelby County’s isolated programs into an integrated system that enhances quality, increases efficiency, and expands capacity to 29,350 children and families, so 90% of children are kindergarten ready and 90% of 3rd graders are reading on grade-level by 2025.
As of December 2019, First 8 Memphis pre-K classrooms have accomplished the following:
First 8 Memphis is at 93% enrollment capacity (1,176 out of 1,260 seats).
About 80% of students attend prekindergarten regularly, meaning they were absent fewer than five days.
Nearly all students have been administered the first assessment (Istation) that we will use to measure cognitive growth.