Early childhood policy experts at Vanderbilt University’s Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center released a yearly report Thursday.
Tennessee ranked 49th of 51 in a simulation of annual resources available to a single parent of both an infant and a toddler who works full time at a minimum wage job and takes 12 weeks of leave — combining income, paid family leave, out-of-pocket child care expenses, nutrition benefits and federal and state income taxes. A single parent can receive $26,513 in resources in Tennessee compared to Washington, D.C., top ranked in the report at $47,000.
The report also points out that Tennessee is now one of 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid and 22 states that have not established a minimum wage of $10 per hour or higher.
