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TCCY highlights Resilient Tennessee and Best Place for Working Parents, offers free employer assessment
Summary
At a TCCY briefing, staff outlined Resilient Tennessee’s strategic goals and introduced the Best Place for Working Parents designation, highlighting employer examples (Kenco, PepsiCo, Timber HP, Tyson) and noting the assessment is free and industry‑adjusted.
A Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) presenter opened the briefing by describing TCCY as “an independent, nonpartisan, very small state agency” focused on promoting child and family wellbeing and introduced Resilient Tennessee and the Best Place for Working Parents partnership.
The presenter said Resilient Tennessee grew from prior work on early childhood and resilience and that the collaborative’s strategic plan (developed in early 2024) centers on three goals: funding, policy and programs, and multi‑system engagement. She said innovation grants overseen by the Department of Children’s Services are now structured on a three‑year cycle and that, according to the governor’s budget as cited in the briefing, roughly $1,950,000 is allocated to DCS for innovation grants (presenter described this figure as approximate).
On workforce supports, the presenter summarized the Best Place for Working Parents program, a national designation that compares an employer’s family‑friendly policies against a top‑10 set of practices. The assessment is free, brief and tailored to an employer’s industry and size; participating firms receive benchmarking feedback and access to a peer network. “Sadie Funk is the national director for the Best Place for Working Parents,” the presenter said, noting TCCY serves as the state and regional partner.
The briefing gave concrete business examples: Kenco (manufacturing) uses three‑week advanced scheduling and a shift‑swap app to increase predictability for frontline workers; PepsiCo targeted midlevel managers to improve uptake of mental‑health benefits; Timber HP funded a $5,000 dependent‑care FSA for employees; and Tyson combined federal, state and local subsidies with employer contributions to bring on‑site childcare costs down to about $2 an hour per child, according to the presenter. Those examples were cited as industry‑specific ways employers can support recruitment and retention.
The presenter also cited national trends the Best Place reports track—growth in on‑site childcare, rising importance of flexibility and family supports—and said TCCY will circulate slides and links after the meeting. She encouraged local employers and partners to use the free assessment and participate in the Resilient Tennessee collaborative.
The briefing closed with logistical notes: TCCY will send follow‑up materials by email and participants reconvened after lunch for a second session focused on trauma‑informed workplace recognition.
