West Tennessee Association for Childhood Education International
History of WTACEI
In the early 1980”s, the child care licensing staff of the Dept. of Human Services, in an effort to encourage local child care providers to be involved in a professional work group, organized the Jackson Area Association for Young Children (JAAYC). The membership of 25 was comprised primarily of day care directors and staff, certified teachers, and faculty and students from area universities.
In the early years, Lambuth Memorial Day Care or First Baptist Child Development Center hosted monthly meetings for the constituency to provide training for child care providers. Training in child development and nutrition was provided by UT Agricultural Center extension agents, local Kindergarten teachers, university professors and others. JAAYC also sponsored enrichment programs for children twice a year at First Presbyterian Church or Lambuth Memorial Methodist Church JAAYC has always had close ties with university faculty from both LambuthUniversityand Union Universityand a faculty member from one of the two has usually served on the board. When JAAYC began to sponsor an annual spring conference on young children in 1982, it was held at Lambuth for a number of years. In 1994, when that facility was outgrown, the conference was moved to Union Universityand changed to the Fall.
In 1994, at the encouragement of NAEYC, JAAYC affiliated with TAEYC and changed its name to Jackson Area Association for the Education of Young Children. Kathy Canovan and Kathie Cothern led the local organization through the affiliation process. In 1997, due to clerical errors at the state level and embezzlement of funds at the local level, affiliation with NAEYC was lost. After several failed attempts to reinstitute affiliation, the local board decided it would be beneficial to become affiliated with another professional association.
The local president had been an active member of ACEI for a number of years and was familiar with the supportive services that it offered. Since the local organization serves school-age care providers and certified teachers as well as day care providers, it was believed that membership in an international association which caters to children of a wide age range would be beneficial to all. So in the fall of 2000, with the local board in unanimous support, then-President Carrie Whaley sought affiliation with ACEI. A letter was sent to all local members informing them of the intended change and the effects it would have on them. The Fall Conference of 2000 was held for the first time under the banner of ACEI and the new constitution was approved by the full constituency at that time. Now with a membership of over 500, the West Tennessee ACEI branch looks forward to helping build a strong state chapter in the years ahead.
In the early 1980”s, the child care licensing staff of the Dept. of Human Services, in an effort to encourage local child care providers to be involved in a professional work group, organized the Jackson Area Association for Young Children (JAAYC). The membership of 25 was comprised primarily of day care directors and staff, certified teachers, and faculty and students from area universities.
In the early years, Lambuth Memorial Day Care or First Baptist Child Development Center hosted monthly meetings for the constituency to provide training for child care providers. Training in child development and nutrition was provided by UT Agricultural Center extension agents, local Kindergarten teachers, university professors and others. JAAYC also sponsored enrichment programs for children twice a year at First Presbyterian Church or Lambuth Memorial Methodist Church JAAYC has always had close ties with university faculty from both LambuthUniversityand Union Universityand a faculty member from one of the two has usually served on the board. When JAAYC began to sponsor an annual spring conference on young children in 1982, it was held at Lambuth for a number of years. In 1994, when that facility was outgrown, the conference was moved to Union Universityand changed to the Fall.
In 1994, at the encouragement of NAEYC, JAAYC affiliated with TAEYC and changed its name to Jackson Area Association for the Education of Young Children. Kathy Canovan and Kathie Cothern led the local organization through the affiliation process. In 1997, due to clerical errors at the state level and embezzlement of funds at the local level, affiliation with NAEYC was lost. After several failed attempts to reinstitute affiliation, the local board decided it would be beneficial to become affiliated with another professional association.
The local president had been an active member of ACEI for a number of years and was familiar with the supportive services that it offered. Since the local organization serves school-age care providers and certified teachers as well as day care providers, it was believed that membership in an international association which caters to children of a wide age range would be beneficial to all. So in the fall of 2000, with the local board in unanimous support, then-President Carrie Whaley sought affiliation with ACEI. A letter was sent to all local members informing them of the intended change and the effects it would have on them. The Fall Conference of 2000 was held for the first time under the banner of ACEI and the new constitution was approved by the full constituency at that time. Now with a membership of over 500, the West Tennessee ACEI branch looks forward to helping build a strong state chapter in the years ahead.
