Hardin County educator supports Beshear’s call for paid preschool for 4-year-olds

A Kentucky school district is speaking out on Governor Andy Beshear's budget proposal, calling for fully funding universal pre-k for all 4-year-olds.

Hardin County, Ky (WTVQ): A Kentucky school district is speaking out on Governor Andy Beshear’s budget proposal, calling for fully funding universal pre-k for all 4-year-olds.  “The Department of Education estimates under this plan about 34,000 additional Kentucky 4-year-olds would be provided with a pre-school education,” Beshear said.

According to the Governor, in the 2022, 2023 academic year, only 46% of kindergarteners were considered kindergarten ready. His proposed budget will provide $172 million each year for all 4-year-olds. “This would be an unprecedented investment for Kentucky’s children,” he said. “Imagine the difference it will make when every single Kentucky child enters kindergarten prepared to learn.”

Carlena Sheeran, the Director of Early Childhood Education at Hardin County Schools, says currently in order for children to attend Pre-K they need to qualify. “Four-year-olds can qualify either by income, or an identified disability or being in foster care,” she said.  Sheeran says the children who met these requirements in Hardin County were 50% ready for kindergarten. She says currently, there’s a lot of families who feel frustrated because their child doesn’t fall into the eligibility requirements for state funding. “But they know that their child needs early intervention, and would benefit from that and they don’t have any options,” she said.

Sheeran says a concern some legislators might have that there’s no place to house these children. “I don’t think Universal pre-school has to only look like it’s in a school system. It could be in a childcare setting, it could be in a head start setting, it could be in public pre-school,”

Even if this doesn’t pass, Sheeran. hopes the state will look at increasing the categories for children to qualify. “We see kids that come to pre-school and just with the exposure alone you see such success in those kids,” she said.

The legislature will have the final say on the budget. The next legislative session starts in January.