On Thursday, March 19, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence hosted a Facebook Live conversation  about the daycare and early childhood education impact of COVID-19. Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey facilitated a discussion on the impact of the closures of these facilities with early childhood business leaders and advocates.

Due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, Kentucky students -- from preschool through college -- are practicing social distancing. The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is committed to ensuring that learning continues to take place at this time. The following websites link to resources that can be used to enhance home-based learning during this time.

Prior to joining the staff of the Prichard Committee, I worked for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) as Chief Communications Officer. This provided me with a familiarity with the powerful work of the department’s education recovery team. I was surprised to learn that Senate Bill 158, filed two weeks ago, would remove KDE from school turnaround, as they are considered a national model in this space. Within one year of being designated for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) under Kentucky’s new accountability system, Menifee Elementary School in Frenchburg, Ky., exited the status, and was designated a 3-star school. This progress would not have happened without KDE’s education recovery team.