Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced the federal government has selected Kentucky for a nearly $36 million grant to support families and the state’s economy by ensuring more children are ready for kindergarten.
The Preschool Development Birth through Five grant will provide Kentucky with $11.9 million each year over a three-year period. Beshear said these funds will help the commonwealth develop and expand early learning programs, build an early childhood education workforce talent pipeline and expand access to high quality for children most in need.
The federal award will build upon a $10.6 million Preschool Development Grant Birth through 5 grant Kentucky received in 2019. Since then, Kentucky has advanced the goals outlined in the grant’s strategic plan.
In addition to federal funding, the Beshear-Coleman administration has also increased state funding for early childhood education. This year, Team Kentucky’s budget request of $125.9 million won legislative approval and fully funds full-day kindergarten for the children of the commonwealth. During the next two years, Governor Beshear has allotted $1.4 million for the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood. The state will invest $6 million in the state’s Regional Collaborative Network and $1.4 million annually.
As part of his commitment to early childhood education, Beshear has proposed an Education First Plan to be considered during the upcoming 2023 legislative session. The Governor’s plan aims to address student learning loss brought on by the pandemic and years of denied pay raises that have contributed to the state’s nearly 11,000 public school teacher vacancies, by providing funding for a 5% pay raise for school staff, universal pre-K, textbooks, technology and training, teacher student loan forgiveness and social and mental health services.
Governor Beshear is also asking lawmakers to consider restoring new teacher pensions, which he said is the single most effective action we can take to keep new teachers in the classroom.
Source: WAVE
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