The child care ecosystem in Kentucky was already fragile before the pandemic. According to the Kentucky Division of Child Care, the number of regulated providers in Kentucky dropped from 4,400 in 2013 to 2,172 in 2020, leaving 165,315 slots available for children at 1,817 child 
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Throughout our Coping with COVID survey work in 2020 and 2021, and from hearing first-hand accounts of mental health struggles from friends and family, it is clear that education entities and non-profits such as the Prichard Committee need to do much work in this space. 
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Just weeks into the pandemic, Prichard Committee members and staff began asking questions about online learning and the impact it might have on students with no internet access. As weeks turned into months, however, our attention expanded to the impact the digital divide was having 
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The pandemic has provided all education stakeholders with a front row seat to how learning can be impacted by life’s challenges. With online classes being conducted across the state, educators were seeing students’ family lives displayed on their laptop screens, and parents were seeing lessons 
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Before the pandemic, Amy Beal, the school counselor for Donald E. Cline Elementary in Cold Spring already had a robust plan to improve the mental health of the schools’ students, educators and families. From sending self-care tips to staff, to hosting individual student therapy, and 
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In August on an episode of our “Innovations in Education” web series, Prichard Committee President & CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey spoke to leaders in Kentucky’s early childhood education space about the positive impact that additional licensed family child care homes could have on Kentucky’s very 
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Schools in the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) have worked relentlessly since March 2020 to help close the digital divide for students on campuses across the Commonwealth.At Bluegrass Community & Technical College, faculty and staff members called all 7,000-9,000 students four times throughout 
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In our K-12 and higher education surveys, the need for more mental health supports for students, educators and family was a prevalent theme. 35% of high school students surveyed said that they wanted mental health services, but didn’t have access to them. 36% of teachers 
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Early on during the pandemic, officials at Northern Kentucky University recognized that many of their students would be adversely impacted by job losses and health care needs. In response, they created the COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund, and raised nearly $150,000 from regional donors and community 
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Prior to the pandemic, the iKids Childhood Enrichment Center in Benton, Kentucky, had about 80 students enrolled, with 5 low-income students attending through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). When child care centers closed in March, iKids was able to provide in-person services to 25 
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