HISTORY
The Chattanooga Area Association for the Education of Young
Children can trace its beginning back to the 1940's when a
group of kindergarten teachers met at the home of Mrs.
Cynthia Thatcher. Kindergartens and Nursery Schools were
beginning to open in Chattanooga and some of the teachers
were concerned with the lack of sharing of ideas and
experiences. A teachers group was formed to meet, exchange
ideas and upgrade the image of kindergartens. The monthly
meeting of the kindergarten teachers was held at various
preschools where ideas were shared on handwork, stories,
poems, finger plays and other interesting things.
Discussion focused on ideas they felt would contribute to
the growth and development of children.
SACUS, Southern Association on Children Under Six met in
Chattanooga in 1954 and spurred the rapid growth of the
Kindergarten Council. A more formal organizational
structure was adopted, officers were elected and dues were
assessed. Since then, the Kindergarten Council has
undergone several name changes, arriving at its current
affiliation with the Association for the Education of Young
Children. CAAEYC is affiliated with the state-wide
organization TAEYC and the national organization NAEYC,
offering its members a wide range of services, information,
resources and training opportunities.
CAAEYC is the professional association for childhood
educators and serves Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton,
Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie Counties.
Annually CAAEYC sponsors Week of the Young Child
activities, awards the Lu Lewis Early Childhood Teacher
Award, the Hilda Avant Service to Young Children Award, the
Marguerite Hullander Training & Professional
Development Award and organizes numerous educational
seminars, trainings and networking opportunities.
VISION
The vision of CAAEYC is to create a strong network of
support and educational opportunities for individuals
involved in the care and education of children birth
through eight in our community and, as a result, improve
early childhood settings for children.
BELIEFS
We believe that birth through age eight are critical years
in the development of children.
We believe that those responsible for young children must
have the education, training and resources necessary to
achieve healthy development and constructive education for
all children.
We believe that it is essential that adults working with
young children have ongoing opportunities to improve their
skills in helping these children in their world.
We believe individuals working with young children must
have opportunities for networking, fellowship and
development through a professional organization.
We believe that a professional organization must speak
collectively on behalf of young children on issues
concerning their health, education and general welfare.
MISSION
The CAAEYC promotes quality education and child care in all
early childhood setting through advocacy, training,
technical assistance and collaboration.
GOALS
CAAEYC will support funding for high quality programs in
all settings for young children and their families.
CAAEYC will strive to increase and diversify its membership
to enable the group to achieve its mission on behalf of
children, families and professionals in early childhood
education.
CAAEYC will uphold high standards for professional
development and facilitate improvements in working
conditions to achieve high-quality practice in early
childhood education for all of its members.
CAAEYC will assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the
association, staff and volunteer board members at least
bi-annually.
Why Join CAAEYC?
As a CAAEYC member, you support a variety of
professional activities to improve the quality of early
childhood education.
As a CAAEYC member, you gain networking opportunities
through local, state, regional and national early childhood
organization affiliated with CAAEYC.
As a CAAEYC member you receive valuable membership benefits
which include:
Newsletter published quarterly each year
Subscription to Young Children, the NAEYC professional
magazine
Reduced fees for local, state and national conferences,
Meetings and workshops
Professional recognition