This year may not have been the smooth return to normal many expected, but Memphis’ penchant for clever thinking and creative problem solving continues unabated. In 2021, for our ninth Innovation Awards running, Inside Memphis Business features prominent individuals and bright thinkers who are showcasing Memphis’ evolution through innovation. And like every year, there are always plenty of candidates to choose from, spanning industries ranging from the medical field to logistics.
This year, we recognize Chloe Hakim-Moore’s reforms to childcare and early education, Mason George’s new technology to ease congested supply chain issues, Dr. Leta Nutt’s chemical sterilant meant to cut down on the overwhelming number of stray animals, and Dr. Michael Whitt’s crucial contribution to the production of effective Covid-19 vaccines. They're all worthy winners in their own right, and are doing their utmost to move Memphis forward. Today, we introduce you to Hakim-Moore; other winners will be profiled throughout December.
photograph by tre'bor jones
Chloe Hakim-Moore — Director, NEXT Memphis
By the time children start kindergarten and begin their formal education, 90 percent of their brain is already formed. That means the first five years of life are pivotal moments of educational opportunity. “Because of this, early childcare should not just be seen as a luxury, or as just somewhere for children to be safe,” says Chloe Hakim-Moore, director and founder of NEXT Memphis. She calls for equitable, engaging, and quality early childhood education across demographics, which is why she launched NEXT Memphis in January 2020 after researching solutions to Memphis and Shelby County’s early childcare needs for several years. “People think of research as pretty cold — they think numbers and algorithms — but the research we did was really qualitative and personal,” she says, “getting the chance to go into people’s personal homes, and their businesses, and listen to their stories.”
“I want Memphis to be on the map as a national leader in education reform that really uplifts early childhood education as necessary and not expendable — for all of our residents, not just the ones who can afford it.” — Chloe Hakim-Moore
Using her experience as an anthropologist and a sociologist, Hakim-Moore led research that found that the needs in Memphis and Shelby County track with national trends in early childhood education. For instance, she points out, “The North Star indicator for a child’s success is third-grade reading.” By third grade, children transition from learning to read to using reading to learn. Those who succeed in that transition are more likely to graduate from high school and college and be successful in a career. But the children who don’t make that benchmark are rarely able to catch up. “Significant amounts of them are on track to adult poverty,” she adds.
In Memphis, 45 percent of children and a third of adults live in poverty. Poverty rates like these won’t change without some kind of intervention, and equalizing early childhood education across demographics could help end this cycle. In turn, this research led to NEXT Memphis’ shared service alliance model with a three-fold holistic approach: business, education, and family. The organization provides the structural and educational support childcare centers need, in whatever capacity they may need, all while the centers maintain full ownership. Depending on the business, this could look like providing HR assistance, support with marketing and enrollment, managing administrative operations like accounting, or offering administrative training to staff.
But NEXT Memphis aims beyond the children too, providing support for families as well. “You can’t serve a child without serving a family,” Hakim-Moore says. “We have family service workers. You can think of them as a life coach or social worker, depending on the need for any family or caregiver in our program.” Whether a caregiver is looking to go back to school or find a job or to navigate their way out of homelessness or an abusive situation, these workers are there for them.
Now in its second year, NEXT Memphis has partnered with a total of 42 centers. “I want Memphis to be on the map as a national leader in education reform that really uplifts early childhood education as necessary and not expendable — for all of our residents, not just the ones who can afford it,” Hakim-Moore says. “I want our political influence, cultural influence, and financial resources all to come together to support it.”
