Beshear's Pre-K for All is a No Brainer
Demand for Pre-K childcare in the Commonwealth vastly exceeds capacity, so parents must be quick to secure a spot for their infants. “We were able to fill up all our spots, and did no marketing… We just did a grand opening, and we were filled within a week,” says Tom Bontrager, President and CEO of the Owensboro Family YMCA.
What happens to those unlucky kids who don’t make it on the list? “There’s about a year-and-a-half to two-year waitlist for an infant,” Tom says. With 100,000 more infants (aged 0-4) than spots in daycares, parents are often stuck scrambling for months or even years without an option. One mother from Johnson County reported, “I have been on the waitlist for 3 years now. The average for my area is 3-5 years. Children are aging out of preschool before getting into daycare.”
While Parents Wait, Their Kids Fall Behind
In the meantime, our kids are falling behind. The Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) finds that 54% of Kentucky Kindergarteners lack the necessary skills to succeed. (See Footnote 1.) That means that most children in Kentucky arrive at their first day of Kindergarten not knowing their letters, colors, and shapes.
While there have been some efforts to improve educational outcomes, they lack the breadth needed to address the problem. Last year, the legislature passed HB 240 to create more flexibility for students to be held back if they need more time to get to grade-level competence. Bill sponsor Timmy Truett acknowledged, “This is kind of maybe a band-aid on it. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it does soften it a little bit. If you’ve got a kid who’s not ready… It’s a small way of trying to fill that void.” Unfortunately, the kid who isn’t ready is no longer the exception.
They are the rule.
A Century Ago, Kentucky Overcame a Similar Education Gap
We have been here before. At the turn of the 20th century, Kentucky was in crisis, as high levels of illiteracy and poverty plagued the Commonwealth. Most counties didn’t have a high school, and secondary education was largely limited to those with means. In that moment, communities across Kentucky recognized that in a rapidly changing world, education was a necessary public good to ensure that their children could prosper. Lawmakers embraced the “High School Movement,” a national movement that sought to democratize access to education by making a high school education accessible regardless of economic status. (See Footnote 2.) In 1908, our lawmakers required that all counties establish one or more high schools by 1910 - a breakneck pace of change not seen anywhere else in the world. But these investments paid off. In 1910, just 9% of American youths earned a high school diploma. In just 25 years, that number jumped to 40%. Today, it stands at 91%.
Beshear’s Pre-K for All Program Would Address This Issue
We stand today at a similar crossroads. Instead of expanding educational options for children as they grow older, we stand to benefit from increasing access to education at a younger age. The Governor’s top priority this session has emerged as the Pre-K for All program, which would expand access to preschool for all 4-year-olds. 19 states provide preschool programs for all 4-year-olds, and they have reaped the benefits. For example, Alabama’s “First Class Pre-K” program all but filled pre-existing readiness gaps by the time students entered Kindergarten. Furthermore, participation in First Class Pre-K impacted children across the lifespan of their education, boosting reading scores by the 3rd grade and reducing disciplinary infractions through 12th grade. Investments in early childhood education set our kids up for success in the future, making the investments of the past all the greater.
Today, 79 out of the 120 counties in Kentucky are considered “childcare deserts”, where there are more than three children per available childcare slot. That leaves most parents waiting in limbo for months, scrambling to make arrangements, all while their kids fall behind. We must follow the example set by our forefathers and make a deep investment to expand education to the youngest among us.
What You Can Do
Lawmakers are expected to finalize the state budget by April 1, and have until April 15 to pass it before ending this year’s legislative session. There’s still time to do what’s right for Kentucky’s kids. Take action and urge your representatives to pass the Pre-K for All program by calling the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 or going to the Kentucky Legislature website to identify and contact your state representative and senator.
Footnotes:
As measured by the Brigance K Screen III, a standard index that screens for basic cognitive, motor, and general knowledge skills.
Educational access was not commensurately extended to Black children in Kentucky for decades.