Ballad cuts ribbon on child care center to kick off 2024 Niswonger Children’s Network Radiothon
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The 12th annual Niswonger Children’s Network Radiothon kicked off Thursday.
Money raised during the event will benefit the healthcare for children around the region. To donate, text KITE to 24365 or donate online. The Radiothon through Friday.
Donate to the 2024 Niswonger Children’s Network Radiothon
On Thursday morning, Ballad Health celebrated the start of Radiothon by cutting the ribbon on the first of several new child care centers in Greeneville. The new Center for Early Learning in Greeneville is part of a broader initiative by Ballad to expand access to child care.
“We looked at the need, and what we found was that there was high need here in Greeneville because the amount of kids that needed slots,” said Dr. Paula Masters, Ballad Health chief health disparities officer. “There wasn’t a lot of offerings and we wanted to help to solve that problem.”
The center features classroom and play spaces with enough room for 92 children. Ballad leaders told News Channel 11 they hope all children are ready for kindergarten by the time they finish their time at the Center for Early Learning.
“We have a curriculum here that’s not only evidence-based and gets them ready for kindergarten, but also has those social and emotional pieces and allows for us to have play-based learning, so that way they don’t exactly know that they’re in a classroom and learning all the things that’ll make them kindergarten-ready,” Masters said. “They’re just enjoying time and engagement here with others and with the teachers.”
Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL
Ballad plans to build up to 11 similar child care centers in the region, providing early learning for up to 2,000 children.
Todd Norris, senior vice president of system advancement and community health for Ballad, said with the early learning center being housed on Tusculum University’s campus there is potential for students to be involved at the center.
“We have a lot of opportunity for partnership with educational institutions across the region,” Norris said. “Those partnerships are vitally important to building a pipeline not only for Ballad centers for early learning, but for child care centers across the region, so that there’s a base of high quality centers that can serve our children and help them become kindergarten ready.”
Ballad plans to make additional announcements for child care centers on Thursday, one in Johnson City with the help of an East Tennessee State University partnership and one in Lebanon, Virginia.
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