Sustaining and increasing investment in Kentucky’s system of education – early childhood through postsecondary – is critical to the state’s success in the future, especially now as we will want to support a robust recovery from the current COVID-19 crisis. You are familiar with the Prichard Committee's Big Bold Ask – $1 billion in increased education investments over the next six years. As the end of the 2020 session nears, I wanted to remind you how increasing education funding now – from early childhood to K-12, to higher education – will be a boon to Kentucky’s economy in the years to come. In the midst of the crisis that is COVID-19, it’s important to note that in past economic recessions, Kentuckians with the least education were the ones most negatively impacted, and as a result our economic growth has lagged the nation. It is simply imperative for our future prosperity that we not let the current crisis and likely economic downturn keep us from investing in our human capital in such a way that we come out of this crisis positioned to grow stronger and more resilient for the future. Now is not the time to let up on a commitment to increasing the educational attainment of Kentuckians. In fact, now is the time to deepen that commitment and ensure ever-greater progress – and an ability to climb out of the bottom rungs of poverty nationally. Now is the time for bold leadership that unequivocally invests in our 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.