Some state education officials recently touted universal preschool as a beneficial option for Kentucky children. Currently, preschool education programs are only guaranteed for four-year-old children whose family income is no more than 160 percent of the poverty line and all three and four-year-old children with developmental delays and disabilities. The universal preschool system would ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend a publicly funded preschool.
Andrea Bartholomew, with the Office of Special and Early Education at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), said Kentucky children would greatly benefit from a preschool education.
“We must consider, Kentucky has a unique situation with early childhood providers and state funded preschool. You have a dual certification for regular education and special education with the IEC degree. Not every state requires even a teaching degree. So, I think we have a real opportunity to look at that here with our already having a highly certified teacher in those classrooms with our kiddos that really increases the quality of what our kids are getting,” said Bartholomew.
Officials also said universal preschool will also benefit both children and parents of low-income households in the state if established. Melody Cooper, Policy Advisor of the Office of Special and Early Education at the KDE, said data has shown how universal preschools are more beneficial to children from these households.
“Kids who were low income benefited more from their programs when it was a universal program, when it was open to all kids. So, lower income kids benefited in both of the targeted and the universal but more so in the universal,” said Cooper.
Education officials shared that low-income kids were able to achieve higher reading score gains than those in targeted preschools. Additionally, universal preschool could benefit Kentucky economically as more parents would have the opportunity to enter the workforce.