I urge you to support increased investments in high-quality early learning opportunities for the Commonwealth's young children and families by supporting the Prichard Committee's Big Bold Ask. Kentucky has actually lost ground in the last decade – falling from 24th in preschool enrollment of 3- and 4-year-olds in 2008 to 41st in 2018. When 50% of our children enter kindergarten not ready to learn, they are behind before they set foot in school. And when quality childcare is either non-existent or unaffordable for working parents, Kentucky’s already low labor participation rate is hampered even further. We can’t afford to wait. The investment, which would be phased-in over several budgets, will: 1.) Increase the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligibility to 200% of federal poverty level. Increase reimbursement rates and incentives for serving infants, toddlers and young children in high-quality child-care centers and family care providers. 2.) Increase eligibility for preschool to 200% of federal poverty level as well as per-child funding for public preschool. Create a dedicated source of grant funding – separate from public preschool appropriation – to encourage partnerships between public preschool and private child care. 3.)Increase and sustain funding – regardless of fund source – to HANDS, Kentucky’s evidence-based, voluntary home visiting program, to support more families with more than one child and until the age of 3. These investments will insure a strong start for Kentucky's children. That start begins with early childhood learning. In addition, early childhood opportunities have a tremendous impact on Kentucky’s work force – both short-term and long-term. Kentucky can’t expand its work force if parents can’t work because they have nowhere safe and dependable to take their children during the day. I urge you again to support additional funding for these critical programs to ensure Kentucky's youngest get a strong start to a bright future.

High-quality early learning builds the academic and social-emotional foundation that children need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Today many of the Kentucky children who most need this solid foundation do not have the opportunity due to cost and/or lack of high-quality programs in their area. More children benefiting from high-quality environments from birth to preschool will prepare more students for strong learning in kindergarten through third grade, leading to more students proficient in reading and mathematics by the end of third grade. Kentucky’s young children and their families benefit from high-quality early learning that keeps every child on a path toward proficiency in reading and mathematics by the end of the third grade. Research demonstrates that learning begins early and high-quality early learning impacts long-term outcomes for students. Cognitive skill development begins early and rapidly. The Toddler Brain by Laura A. Jana, M.D. indicates that 85-90% of brain development occurs before the age of 5. Research also shows children who participate in high-quality preschool programs are 40 percent less likely to drop out of school and 50 percent less likely to be placed in special education. I encourage you to strongly consider increasing investment in early childhood education so that the entire educational systems improves.