KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A Knox County pharmacist is opening a new early learning center that she said was inspired by her own struggle to find child care for her children.
Sohini Patel, a licensed pharmacist and mother of two, is bringing Children’s Lighthouse of Knoxville to the area. She describes the center as an educational child care center with a curriculum that blends social-emotional skills and academics.
“To be honest, just seeing how much community impact was created by the shortage in child care,” Patel said. “When I was going through it, I just felt like I wanted to do something more. Everyone is talking about the same thing — how they literally have nowhere to go — and the waitlists range from anywhere from one year up to three years.”
Personal experience drove the decision
Patel said she encountered the shortage firsthand when she tried to enroll her daughter, who was born at the start of COVID-19, and found waitlists stretching from one to three years…