Tammie Miller

Chair, Family Child Care Providers Chapter of the United Federation of Teachers

Tammie Miller is the Chair of the Family Child Care Providers Chapter of the United Federation of Teachers, currently representing more than 10,000 home-based providers throughout New York City.

A native New Yorker and Brooklyn resident, Tammie earned an associate degree in Speech Pathology and a master's degree in political science, from Long Island University. She is also a graduate of the Cornell University ILR program.

After a decade in the private sector, Tammie followed her passion for educating early learners. In 2003, her initial step led to becoming a Registered Family Child Care Provider. Tammie quickly transformed into an entrepreneur, opening her own center, Safe and Sound Family Child Care, in Brooklyn’s Kensington neighborhood. With a sense of urgency to address the many professional challenges facing childcare providers, Tammie formed an alliance with the UFT (United Federation of Teachers) and other advocates to create a union for these critically under-compensated and poorly represented workers in November of 2005.

In 2008, Tammie was elected as the 1st Chairwoman in the first of many historic moments for this UFT chapter. A savvy campaign strategist, Tammie under the leadership of UFT President Michael Mulgrew successfully secured a retroactive pay award for her members totaling over $45 million in May of 2009. In January of 2010, she helped negotiate and ratify the first collective bargaining agreement between the childcare providers’ chapter and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Elevating the role of these early learning specialists to respected professional educators has been the hallmark of Tammie’s tenure.

To date, in contract victories, she has helped obtain $50 million for Dental & Vision, $23.5 million for classes and $22.5 million for quality grants totaling more than $101 million in provider benefits. Throughout the city, thousands of providers have benefited from professional development and the distribution of educational materials and supplies for providers

Collaborating with the Provider Executive Board, the UFT Health and Safety team and the UFT Teacher Center, more than 15,000 providers have received training in CPR, health and safety protocols, early childhood development, licensing renewals and much more. A recipient of the Innovation Grant from the union’s national affiliate, the AFT, Tammie, together with the Teacher Center, implemented the literacy-based curriculum, Successful Beginnings for Early Literacy Development.

Tammie has fought for and won landmark decisions for providers in matters pertaining to site inspections by the city Department of Buildings, the Fire Department and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Tammie and her husband are the proud parents of two daughters, who benefited from their education in New York City public schools. Their eldest daughter, Akilah, graduated in May 2022 from Hunter College with a master's degree in biology, and their youngest daughter, Naomi, graduated from Connecticut College with a Bachelor’s degree and is currently attending The New School to gain her Master's Degree.