Tennessee Shepherding the Next Generation members met with First Lady, Crissy Haslam on Monday, March 28, at the First Lady’s office in Nashville, TN. Participating in the meeting were Dr. Ted Denny and Pastor Scott Roley.
Ted is the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN, and also serves as the Chief Chaplain for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department. Scott is the Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN.
The discussion centered around two key programs that research has proven can make a difference in the lives of at risk children. Those programs are Pre-K and Home Visiting. A recent Vanderbilt study of Pre-K in Tennessee showed children who attended state-funded prekindergarten classes gained an average of 82 percent more on early literacy and math skills than comparable children who did not attend.
Shepherding the Next Generation members also discussed home visiting with Mrs. Haslam. One home visiting program that has done rigorous research, The Nurse-Family Partnership, has show reductions in abuse and neglect by up to 50%.