Some of Kentucky’s top business and education leaders are renewing a push for universal pre-K.
Twenty-eight members make up the new Pre-K for All Advisory Committee created through an executive order by Gov. Andy Beshear.
Speaking in Louisville on Wednesday, Beshear said more than half of Kentucky children start school without being kindergarten-ready.
“Before they ever step into one of our public schools, we have failed to provide the services that get them ready to achieve," Beshear said. "It creates a gap that’s nearly impossible to close.”
Beshear spoke at MMY US, a modular home builder in Louisville, which is constructing an onsite child care and pre-K center for parents employed there.
Beshear said providing pre-K to every four-year-old will also strengthen Kentucky’s workforce and boost the economy. According to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, 79 of Kentucky's 120 counties don't have access to enough child care for every family who needs it, with the majority of those child care deserts located in Eastern Kentucky.
Beshear said universal pre-K could ease that strain.
“It can change the trajectory of families and generations to come," said advisory committee member Felicia Cumings-Smith, chair of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.
A study from Yale found that providing pre-K increased the earnings of parents and caregivers by nearly $9,000 annually, for at least six consecutive years.
"That means $54,000 of additional earnings for our Kentucky families that will make paying bills a little easier and allow those parents to provide more opportunities for those children," said Beshear.
The renewed call for universal pre-K comes ahead of the 2026 legislative session where
lawmakers will develop a new two-year state budget. The Republican super-majority has been resistant to the idea in the past, concerned by the costs involved.
Universal pre-K is currently offered in 18 other states, including neighboring West Virginia, which implemented the program in 2002.
"Yes, we are 23 years behind West Virginia in this area," Beshear said Wednesday. "They've gotten it done. We can too."
