Belmont University opens preschool to help employees with childcare crisis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - It’s so hard to find daycare and preschool spots in Nashville right now, so Belmont University has opened its own center to help its employees get childcare.

This is the first week of arts and crafts, science lessons and story time at Little Bruins Preschool on the edge of Belmont’s campus.

The preschool currently has six students signed up, but it will eventually have 39 students between the ages of 3 and 5 years old.

Director Lynn Applin said parents feel comfortable having their students so close to them at work. She thinks it’s important to offer a quality program to help them through the childcare crisis.

“More and more families are coming here,” Applin said. “More and more families need quality childcare, and we are available to that. We are here to serve all people. We are not exclusive just to the Belmont folks.”

Anyone who lives near the school can sign their kids up, and 25% of the spots are reserved for families who rely on The Store for assistance.

Dean of the College of Education Jim McIntyre said they want to use the college’s teaching methods and philosophy in the new preschool.

Belmont education students will also work in the preschool as part of their early childhood development coursework to complete their certification requirements.

“We feel like there is this amazing opportunity to pour into young people at the earliest age,” McIntyre said. “Get them off to a great start in life, and we are so excited to be able to do this.”

State leaders are trying to make sure everyone can access childcare and preschool like this.

Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) currently has four bills that would remove zoning issues and other barriers that keep places like Little Bruins from opening in parts of Nashville.

“If parents can’t get to work because they don’t have somewhere to send their child during the day, then that is going to affect employers and the entire supply chain issues that we have for our workforce,” Sen. Oliver said.

She has secured $6 million in funds to help cover the cost of daycare for people who work in childcare to encourage more people to enter the field.

While Sen. Oliver said there is no easy solution, she is working to support parents and shorten waitlists that are often more than a year long for newborns.

“A lot of parents are feeling the pinch because tuition costs are more than it costs to send a child to college,” Sen. Oliver said. “We’re trying to lower those costs for families right now.”

Belmont is looking at plans that would possibly add a daycare for younger kids down the line. They’re expecting the Little Bruins Preschool program to be filled by the end of this semester.