We have a new name! We are now Nurture the Next.
Join us in spreading the word with #NewNameSameMission
Our work as an organization is centered on helping families provide nurturing homes and healthy childhoods for their children. But our name for the last three decades, Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, hasn’t made that clear. That is why we are now Nurture the Next.
Our new name emphasizes what we do, rather than what our work prevents. Our mission is still the same and we will maintain our affiliation with Prevent Child Abuse America. But we believe our new name will open doors to reach more families who would benefit from our services.
We hope you will help us spread the word about this major transition by sharing our social media content or a story about your direct experience with us and using #NewNameSameMission.
In case our previous name caused you any confusion about who we are or what we do, I’d like to take this opportunity to reintroduce ourselves:
Nurture the Next helps Tennessee families build the skills and confidence to create a caring environment for the healthy development of their young children.
We exist because parenting matters. Nurtured children grow into resilient, capable adults, and nurturing homes are built by parents who have the knowledge and a positive support system to help them. That’s where we come in.
OUR SERVICES & IMPACT
Our programs include in-home services, parent mentorship, educational classes, crisis support, and training for adults who work with children. All services are free to families and confidential.
Our programs are proven to improve outcomes for families and children by reducing exposure to and impacts from trauma. When children have a healthy childhood, they’re less likely to face challenges later in life with things like mental health, homelessness, and incarceration. Our entire community improves when we invest in the well-being of children starting at the earliest age.
We utilize a “two-generation” approach in our work, meaning our programs support both parents and children in the home. While also strengthening their parenting skills, staff help parents address problems stemming from issues such as joblessness, poverty or domestic violence, among others. This additional support gives parents the capacity to be more nurturing caregivers.
Our two-generation approach ensures our impact is long lasting. Parenting is a skill passed down from one generation to the next. By improving the lives of children today, we’re also improving the lives of their families for generations to come.
Our programs are primarily designed to serve families with children age 5 and under, and services are available for parents starting as early as pregnancy. This approach is rooted in brain science and the growing body of research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Children’s brains develop the fastest in their first five years of life. When children’s physical, mental and emotional needs are met during these early years, their brains can focus on connecting millions of new neurons that are needed for them to regulate their growth and process the world around them.
OUR REACH
We offer programs statewide, but we also have three physical offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Oak Ridge. In 2010, we expanded direct services to families from three counties to 20 counties in Tennessee, and have continued to grow our reach since with in-home parenting support now available in 30 counties.
We are the state’s largest provider of Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV) services, funded through the Tennessee Department of Health as well as philanthropic supporters.
We welcome your support as well, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead to reach even more families in need of our services here in Tennessee.