State leaders hope Kentucky's universal pre-K pilot will improve kindergarten readiness while helping more parents return to the workforce. In Glasgow, one of the first districts participating, educators say the program builds on more than a decade of local investment in early childhood education.
For years, Glasgow Independent Schools has been quietly building toward something that much of Kentucky is only now beginning to discuss.
When Gov. Andy Beshear announced in July that Glasgow Independent would become one of four school districts participating in the state's expanding universal pre-K pilot program, district leaders didn't have to redesign their preschool from the ground up.
Instead, they found themselves making room for more children in a program they say has already been operating much like the governor's vision for more than a decade.
"The only thing that's gonna look different is we're gonna have some more students," Superintendent Chad Mullencamp said. "We were already five days a week. We were already all day. We’re just going to have some more students walking through the building."
Beginning this school year, any 4-year-old living within the Glasgow Independent district may attend preschool, regardless of household income or whether the child has a diagnosed disability, as long as space remains available. Previously, Kentucky's state-funded preschool program primarily served children from lower-income families or those with disabilities or developmental delays.
For Glasgow, the expansion is expected to bring between 40 and 50 additional students into classrooms already designed around full-day instruction.
A program years in the making
Mullencamp says Glasgow's Board of Education began investing in preschool long before universal pre-K became part of Kentucky's political conversation.
Around 2012, the district shifted from half-day preschool four days a week, to full-day classes five days a week using a combination of state preschool funding and local general fund dollars. Later, preschool classrooms were consolidated into dedicated facilities before moving into the renovated former South Green Elementary building several years ago.
"We'd already kind of done it before," Mullencamp said of the governor's initiative. "[Before the pilot] it was based on students that had needs and qualified, either through socioeconomic status and disability or delay aspects.”
That preparation helped make Glasgow an attractive pilot site. Mullencamp said Team Kentucky officials approached the district after statewide public meetings promoting universal pre-K.
"We were fortunate enough for Team Kentucky to reach out to us," he said, adding that Glasgow's size and existing preschool model made it a good fit for expansion.
The governor's administration has described the pilot as a first step toward eventually making preschool available to every Kentucky 4-year-old. Glasgow and Franklin County joined Robertson and Rockcastle counties in the pilot this summer, bringing access to nearly 3,000 additional children statewide.
Earlier this month, the program expanded yet again: Dawson Springs Independent School District announced it would be the first school system in western Kentucky to adopt the pilot.
Supporters, including many education leaders, say universal pre-K can improve kindergarten readiness while also helping parents return to the workforce.
More than academics
Inside Glasgow Preschool Academy, staff members say preschool is often misunderstood.
"This is not a daycare," Principal Yvonne Wilkinson said.
Instead, she describes classrooms intentionally designed around conversation, language development, social skills and confidence-building.
"I believe that every child should have the opportunity to come to preschool," Wilkinson said. "They get that introduction just enough that it puts them on a trajectory for a successful elementary experience."
Teachers don't simply prepare children to recognize letters and numbers. Students learn how to make friends, take turns, solve problems, order food at restaurants during field trips, speak confidently with adults and understand emotions beyond simply being "happy, mad, sad."
"We intentionally foster those conversations to pull the language skills," Wilkinson said. "Exposure is so important to children."
Those experiences extend beyond the classroom. Preschoolers regularly walk to the local library, visit restaurants to practice table manners and communication, and take field trips throughout the region.
"That's important to me, to build that confidence in these little children," Wilkinson said.
One classroom may include children already reading simple words alongside classmates who have never attended school before. Others may arrive without speaking at all.
"We truly meet them where they are, and we foster that growth even more," Wilkinson said.
Some students quickly move into beginning reading or science activities. Others receive support developing language or communication skills. By the end of the year, she said, many preschoolers comfortably use vocabulary that surprises adults.
Watching that transformation, she said, remains one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
"It's just so fun to watch them go from scared little babies in a big building, with adults they’ve never known, to loving us and not wanting to leave."
Screening every child
Although enrollment is expanding, district leaders say one thing will not change: every child entering preschool will continue receiving developmental screening.
Belinda West, Glasgow Independent's director of special education and preschool coordinator, says maintaining those evaluations remains one of the district's highest priorities.
"We still want to make sure that kids still get screened for those potential delays and that we provide those early interventions, regardless of why they're here," she said.
The district currently employs 11 preschool teachers and will add a twelfth classroom this year. Every classroom includes both a certified teacher and an instructional assistant operating under a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Additional staff include speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and teachers dedicated to students with disabilities.
Historically, roughly 80 preschool students have received either speech services or individualized education plans.
"We want to catch those delays early so we can provide those early interventions and get them caught up, hopefully by the time they go to kindergarten," West said.
West says perhaps the biggest misconception about preschool is that young children naturally develop social skills without instruction. She says it’s not so easy.
"In an era of screen time, where a lot of these kids have been on a screen the majority of their day until they come to preschool, we've got to teach them how to be friends with each other," she said.
Teachers intentionally model friendship, problem-solving and emotional regulation every day.
"They learn how to be friends, they learn how to be people," West said. "And it starts at three years old."
That philosophy is visible throughout the building.
Students who become overwhelmed can spend time inside a dedicated sensory room equipped with swings, tactile activities and calming lighting designed for children with autism or other sensory needs.
Outside, a renovated playground and dedicated gymnasium provide opportunities for gross motor development throughout the day. The move into the former South Green Elementary building also gave preschool students separate gym and cafeteria spaces that weren't available in the district's previous facility.
Watching the workforce question
While educators naturally focus on child development, one of the state's biggest questions extends beyond the classroom.
The pilot is also intended to examine whether universal preschool helps parents return to work.
Kentucky officials have repeatedly argued that childcare shortages keep many parents out of the workforce. The administration is funding the pilot using workforce development dollars while collecting data throughout the school year.
"I think that is their main question," West said. "If we do this and we allow four-year-olds to come, are their parents able then to go back and enter the workforce?"
Mullencamp echoed that goal.
"I'm hoping by this opportunity, if they want to get out in the workforce, they're able to do that," he said, while also giving children opportunities for social interaction and academic growth.
The district has already received questions from childcare providers about transportation and after-school care, along with parents wondering whether currently enrolled students from outside district boundaries may remain in the program. West says existing students will continue attending, while transportation arrangements with some childcare providers remain in place.
Ready for September
Glasgow Preschool Academy begins classes Sept. 2, about a week after the rest of Glasgow Independent students return for the fall.
Over the coming weeks, staff will screen children, meet families and prepare classrooms.
For Wilkinson, perhaps the most important work happens before students ever sit at a desk.
"We want to get those families in the building and welcome them to Glasgow," she said. "You tell us, what does your child succeed at? What are you most proud of? What things would help you if we worked on those things with your child?"
She says parents aren't simply dropping children off.
"We really are a partner for them,” she said. “It takes a team, it takes a village."
As Kentucky watches whether universal pre-K can improve school readiness, strengthen the workforce and shape future education policy, Glasgow's educators say they'll be focused on something much simpler: welcoming another group of four-year-olds through the front doors.
"I'm just excited to get them in here," Wilkinson said.
