January 10, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‍For more information, contact:
Brooke Gill, Senior Director, Family Engagement Practice and Policy
‍Brooke.gill@prichardcommittee.org

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Prichard Committee partnering with Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University to develop effective and authentic family engagement practices for future teachers

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is one of eight state grantees from the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) that will be developing innovative approaches to develop stronger family partnership coursework and field experiences for preservice teachers.

The project is in response to a 2022 Survey Findings Report on Family Engagement in Kentucky Educator Preparation Programs by the Collaborative for Families and Schools. The survey found 74% of Kentucky educator preparation programs would improve family engagement components if they were given the tools and resources. Currently only 22% of respondents offer a standalone course in family and community partnership best practices.

“Kentucky schools are doing an excellent job opening opportunities for schools and families to partner,” said Dr. Edna Schack, Prichard Committee Member and Professor Emeritus, Morehead State University. “Educator preparation programs are picking up efforts by building stronger family partnership knowledge and experiences into curricula for prospective teachers before they begin their teaching careers. We are grateful to NAFSCE for funding to support these efforts.”

Over the course of the grant, families will serve as advisors in the development of a series of seminars and field experiences for Kentucky preservice teachers and faculty in partnership with Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and Madison County Schools, and Morehead State University (MSU) and Rowan County Schools. Corbin Independent and Menifee County Schools will also serve as field sites for prospective teachers. Family and teacher panel discussions, pre/post surveys, interviews, and monthly learning circles will take place through the 2023 spring semester. The conclusion and call to action for all Kentucky educator preparation programs will take place in June at the Kentucky Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (KACTE) annual conference. Kentucky will also be part of a national community of practice with grantees from the other seven states and NAFSCE researchers.

“Engaging families in their child’s education is a proven strategy to increase student success and student belonging in school,” said Brigitte Blom, president and CEO of the Prichard Committee. “The grant from NAFSCE will help ensure future teachers develop effective skills in family engagement. We are grateful to Prichard Committee member, Dr. Edna Schack, for leading this important work, and for the partnership with EKU and MSU.”

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led organization working to improve education in Kentucky – early childhood through postsecondary.

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Like Marty and Doc in the 1985 science-fiction blockbuster “Back to the Future,” we find ourselves returning to the past to ensure the Big Bold Future we know can be ours!

This year brought blow after blow, showing Kentucky losing ground to other states on important indicators of education progress.

While much of this traces to the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, we started seeing signs of decline in 2017. To get Kentucky back on track, we must focus on COVID recovery, but also rethink education to meet the future with greater strength, resilience— and sustainable progress. Consider the following examples of hard-won progress lost:

• 29th in fourth-grade reading — a fall from 22^nd in 2019 and a high of 8th in 2015.
• 28th in eighth-grade reading — a drop from 25^th in 2019 and a peak at 12^th in 2011.
• 34th in fourth-grade math — a fall from 30th in 2019 and 21st in 2015.
• 41st in eighth-grade math — down from 36th in 2019 after reaching 33nd in 2011.

Because COVID had a disproportionate impact on those with fewer resources, Kentucky, a poor state, was likely hit harder than other states. Our losses could have been worse. We should acknowledge the strength in our systems that kept us from outright free fall — and meet our declines in the rankings with resolve to work smarter and harder — together and without division.

We must also recognize that test scores in reading and mathematics are not all that parents, students, communities, and businesses expect from a world-class public education. The 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act defined seven capacities required of students (with an eighth added in 2000). These include the durable and transferable skills that will serve students in a changing economy and world. Communication, leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration are among these skills.

While we don’t — and arguably shouldn’t — try to boil these skills down to standardized tests, a diploma should ensure meaningful evidence of skill development. Students should practice and be able to articulate how they developed these competencies. A “meaningful diploma” must assure that Kentucky’s students are prepared to succeed.

Our work, as a citizen-led, nonpartisan and independent organization — is the same as ever: striving to create conditions for success and progress. That means advocating for the policy and investment solutions that strengthen our system, like passage of the 2022 Read to Succeed Act and the General Assembly, so far, meeting our six-year Big Bold Ask investment requests for early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary.

It also means supporting and amplifying local solutions to the needs of students and families — a

Groundswell for community and family engagement. Communities need to be at the table.

Sustainable improvement will not be just the work of our school districts, early childhood providers and postsecondary institutions. It requires all of us to be part of the solution.

While we won’t be traveling back to the future in a DeLorean, we are indeed looking for a lightning bolt to restore our momentum. That jolt can come from Kentuckians uniting around a shared commitment, putting the pedal to the metal, and accepting nothing less than reaching that Big Bold Kentucky Future, together!

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Read the full Winter 2022 Perspectives here.

December 8, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
Brigitte Blom, President and CEO
brigitte@prichardcommittee.org

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Big Bold Future: 2022 National Rankings Report Released

Prichard Committee Board of Directors Meet, Launch Center for Best Practice & Innovation to Improve Metrics

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Lexington, KY – Out of the quarterly board of director’s meeting Wednesday, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence released the next biannual report on Kentucky’s progress in education. The Big Bold Future National Rankings report was released first in 2020 after a similar report produced by the Committee, Top 20 by 2020, ended.

The Big Bold Future report includes 12 indicators across 4 areas: early childhood, K12 education, postsecondary, and quality of life. They allow Kentuckians to track Kentucky’s outcomes relative to other states, analyze trends over the years, see results for Kentuckians of varied backgrounds, find cause for celebration, and to recognize areas of concern.

The 2022 Big Bold Future report shows the following rankings for Kentucky in the top 20.

• 3^rd in high school graduations
• 6^th in two-year postsecondary graduations
• 15^th in voter turnout (a proxy for community engagement)

The report also shows areas of significant concern where Kentucky’s ranking has fallen in recent years.

• 29^th in grade 4 reading (KY’s lowest rank since 50 state NAEP participation began)
• 41^st in grade 8 mathematics
• 43^rd children above 200% of poverty
• 38^th preschool participation
• 41^st postsecondary enrollment
• 43^rd overall associate degree or higher attainment
• 44^th median household income

“We expected decline in Kentucky’s rankings coming out of the COVID years, but to be frank, we were seeing declines in these metrics, and sounding the alarm, YEARS before COVID,” said Brigitte Blom, President & CEO of the Prichard Committee. “To return to a place where these metrics are moving in the right direction, we need the General Assembly to follow through in the last year of the Big Bold Ask to realize the additional $1 billion annually invested strategically into education and we need local communities galvanized to improve local metrics.”

On the heels of the Big Bold Future metrics release, the Committee also announced the launch of the Center for Best Practice & Innovation which is designed to be a hub of people, resources, and data which community leaders across the state can use to improve state and local metrics in education. The Center for Best Practice & Innovation will join the Committee’s existing initiative, the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools, to support and network local community efforts to improve outcomes for students and families.

“Prichard Committee members have taken local action to heart, creating after-school mentoring and tutoring programs, strengthening early learning systems locally, designing reading initiatives, educating students about scholarships and grants for college tuition, the list goes on,” said Blom. “As we continue to push for improvement in our state, embracing local innovation and entrepreneurial thinking will be necessary to produce stronger and more effective results for students and families, community by community. Each community success story will spark hope — together they will have far-reaching ripple effects in communities and across the state, ultimately resulting in improvement on the metrics – and a Big Bold Kentucky Future.”

Full report can be found at www.prichardcommittee.org/Big-Bold-Future

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led organization working to improve education in Kentucky – early childhood through postsecondary.

Guest Blog by Superintendent Charles Morton

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As a way to strengthen local efforts to connect with families and students, Harlan Independent School District jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Family Friendly School initiative when we first heard of the program. Recognizing that our district already demonstrated many of the key qualities for the program, our staff wasted little time committing Harlan Independent Schools to the work.

Through our partnership with Partners for Rural Impact, previously known as Partners for Education, I was made aware of the initiative and believed the program aligned with Harlan Independent’s philosophies and mission of serving students and families. Our district has worked hard at strengthening our family connections during and after the pandemic. Whether it was through our communication efforts or the work to provide support and wrap around services to our students, this process helped us formalize much of what we were already doing. It also gave us the framework to enhance and build on the momentum we built during the pandemic.

In January of 2021, the Family Friendly Schools initiative established by the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools notified both schools in the district, Harlan Elementary and Harlan Middle/High School, of their nomination as two of 60 schools to participate in the first cohort of applicants. Both schools, led by Principals Britt Lawson and Tara Posey, developed teams to attend information sessions and begin the collaborative work of module completion and self-assessment in a variety of family focused areas. The process allowed both schools to hear successful strategies others were implementing in their communities and provided an opportunity to self-reflect on efforts already underway. It was through this work that both schools were able to focus their efforts on the partnerships that had already been established to strengthen the effectiveness of those efforts.

Harlan Middle/High Principal, Britt Lawson, noted that the initiative was new to the school at the time I was made aware that a certification process could be available to pursue. I was excited to see that there was a certification process in place recognizing the efforts of family and community engagement for schools. District-wide we take great pride in being a “Family of Dragons” that welcomes our school community to partner with us to provide excellence in schools. The coaching and support our teams had while working through the process was extremely helpful and made the process seamless.

Tara Posey, Harlan Elementary Principal, commented the process gave her school the chance to evaluate what strategies were being most effective in their efforts to be at the center of community activity in Harlan. “Parent engagement in elementary schools is typically easier to accomplish as students are younger, but the key is to provide high-quality, student-centered activities and engagement that impacts student and family outcomes. At Harlan Elementary, we host many activities for families, through this process, we now see that work through a different lens. We know that student performance and outcomes improve when families are engaged and supported and strengthening that engagement is a core value of all of our efforts. This work really helped anchor what we do moving forward so that we are constantly focused on continuous improvement. When that happens, families and communities only get stronger.”

We’ve highlighted the importance of a positive school culture in the district’s efforts to grow community support. Strong communities need strong schools, supporting school efforts to improve the culture and engage families must be a driving force inside our buildings every day. That effort takes a lot of work from everyone that walks through the door and it can never be taken for granted. Our district is committed to keeping this work alive by adjusting and changing to meet the needs of our community every year. As a district, we found several silver linings that we took away from the COVID 19 pandemic. Schools are capable of making bigger adjustments than we previously thought possible. No two years are exactly the same, as school years start and end, people grow and change. In order to meet students and families in the process, the adults in the schools must embrace the journey. When they do and students flourish, it is a beautiful thing to witness. I am really proud that both schools in our district are among the first Kentucky schools to participate in this work. We believe it will make us stronger in the future.

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Guest Blog by Penny Christian – Prichard Committee Member, Vice President Leadership Outreach, KYPTA – Lexington, KY

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n 2021 I was asked to co-present at the Amplify Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Having never heard of it, I did a little research. “Empowering KC’s Educators of Color for Student Success”, is what I read on the website.  Wow; a conference dedicated specifically to educators of color…and an opportunity to talk about parent voice for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC)

My response to Amplify was a visceral one. For me, this was a truly safe space. There were Black and Brown teachers, administrators and superintendents, all there to speak on behalf of our babies. Without question these people felt they could share thoughts and opinions without fear of repercussion or retaliation. We were insulated, yet free.

Before I even left Kansas City I knew I wanted to present again at Amplify. Why? A captive audience like no other. I wanted to speak to educators of color about families of color. I wanted them to share experiences that would confirm what we already know: family engagement can look different in certain neighborhoods and zip codes. We need to acknowledge and accept that.  Our marginalized families are sometimes overlooked; implicit bias, access, language barriers, etc. can all prevent successful partnerships.  That was the topic of my presentation. So, this past weekend I returned to that safe space.  

One of the most important points I needed attendees to understand was that traditional communication and mainstream family engagement strategies are not always effective with Black and Brown families. While possibly not the intent, it is clear that embedded in these strategies is the notion of “unreachable” families. No matter how honest your motives, Dr. Mapp says you do not genuinely believe every parent cares about their child’s education.  To no one’s surprise, every person in that room had either heard-or said- those very words.  It is exactly that mindset which requires us to have this conversation.

As many of you may know, when I present I always share my “why”, my girls.   As proud as I am of my children, I attempted to share a strong truth with my attendees. ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL BIPOC CHILDREN ARE NOT UNICORNS. After the audible gasps in the room subsided, I clarified my statement.  My children are not anomalies or outliers; every Brown baby in every classroom has the potential to be successful. Moreover, every Brown family has the capacity to support its children.  Unfortunately several teachers in the room shared stories where they had seen lowered expectations and limited opportunities due to biases and preconceived notions. If educators do not believe this, partnerships will not be a priority.  

As we celebrate Family Engagement In Education Week, I share this to remind you that, although we have made great strides, we have not arrived.  As one of the conference attendees stated, “I can do more. And in my current role, I can challenge our schools to do more”.  It is my hope that we all desire to do more, for every child.

he Prichard Committee brought together an all-star cast through the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools to create a way to celebrate and highlight Kentucky schools that prioritize family and community partnership. Partners included Learning Grove, National Center for Families Learning, Partners for Rural Impact, Kentucky Department of Education, and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood along with multiple families and educators across the state. This group created the Family Friendly Schools certification process.

Additionally, the group wanted a more structured process for schools to measure how they were doing in welcoming and connecting with families and then make plans to improve engagement efforts in teams with families, educators and community partners. The group accomplished both through the Family Friendly School Certificate which launched in March 2022 for K-12 schools, and in September 2022 for early education centers.

“This is helping us transition from “one-off” family engagement to a system that is integrated and planned,” Kentucky 2022 Family Friendly School Principal.

The opportunity for all students to succeed requires families, teachers, principals, afterschool programs, and others working together to support each child in distinct ways. Each team member much contribute their own expertise to set children on a pathway to success.

Schools and early care centers who apply for Family Friendly certification gain a deeper understanding about the importance of family-school partnerships, examine core beliefs about family-school partnerships, learn and apply concrete strategies for increasing family engagement in their school and analyze the findings from their self-assessment. To receive certification, schools must demonstrate they have reached a level 3 in- relationship building, communication, shared responsibility, advocacy and community partnerships. They must also develop family engagement action teams with action plans and provide evidence for next steps to deepen equitable family engagement in their school and community.

On Monday Nov. 14^th, the KY Collaborative, Governor Andy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman recognized the first 32 schools and one early care center to achieve this extraordinary certification. Certified schools are encouraged to expand on their work and submit applications annually. Early care centers and schools who have not participated in 2022 are encouraged to apply in the 2023 application window which opens May 1^st, 2023.

Multiple principals expressed gratitude for a process that helps them see what they are already doing right and where they can improve. “This is supporting a transition of doing “for families” to a transition of doing “with families”. We’re now having valuable and rich conversations about our family engagement practices,” Tyler Reed, Frankfort High School Principal.

Read which schools were certified in 2022 and more about the Family Friendly Certification process here – https://prichardcommittee.org/familyengagement/
Questions – Brooke.Gill@prichardcommittee.org

Saturday, September 24^th was an agenda filled day for Hispanic families in Northern Kentucky as they attended the 2^nd Annual Hispanic Families Leadership Conference hosted by Learning Grove. Learning Grove Hispanic Family Engagement Coordinator, Theresa Cruz, led the day long event with support from parent leaders, community members and sponsors. Theresa shared the event’s purpose is to “connect the Hispanic community to necessary resources and provide an opportunity for Hispanic families to be seen and heard.”

Prichard Committee Board Member, Leo Calderon served as the Keynote Presenter for the day’s activities. Leo Calderon previously served as the Director of Latino Student Initiatives at Northern Kentucky University, and is a founder of the Esperanza Center in Covington, KY. Leo urged families to unify to address barriers for the Latino community, engage in their student’s education and seek out necessary resources to “be the change”.

Several themes emerged throughout the day. The first, is the need to increase bilingual staff in our schools and communities. Many schools are working to address barriers to language access through English classes and translation of materials, but schools still lack the needed staff that are bilingual. Another theme points to the lack of representation on decision-making bodies and access to opportunities for families who don’t speak English as their first language. Additionally, I witnessed families learning about resources available to them in their communities, for the first time.

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) Fellowship Program, expanded in 2020 to include families who speak Spanish. During 2020, a pilot program was launched with the partnership between the National Center for Families Learning-Family Literacy Program, Learning Grove, Boone County Schools and The Prichard Committee. This partnership increased families’ knowledge of the education system including learning-at-home strategies and engaging in service-learning projects. Through this spectrum of involvement, families were offered the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through CIPL as a pipeline to increase confidence for Hispanic families to serve as leaders in their communities and schools. Several parent leaders from the 2020 class were responsible for the coordination and event planning of the conference. This community effort is critical to address inequitable access to quality education and break down barriers to higher education for Hispanic families and their students.

A detailed summary of this initiative can be found in this blog post from Jacqueline Ceboci, 2022 CIPL Fellow, Boone County Parent and FIESTA member.

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“Sowing Hope and Cultivating Leaders”

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The important thing about this day is to be able to have a space for Latino-Hispanic expression. A space where it is possible to feel all together, where it is possible to think all together.Today I want to share with you, with all of you, who we are:F.I.E.S.T.A;  is a Hispanic community from Northern Kentucky USA. that seeks to give presence, support and voice to our Latino/Hispanic families.Each letter of the word represents the recognition and actions in favor of our Latin American families.

1. F. Family I. Inclusion E. Education S. Society T. Traditions A. Access

Mission:It is to give presence and voice to our Latino\Hispanic Families, promote an Inclusive society, in favor of Education, culture and Tradition of our Society, providing easy Access to existing resources and opportunities, which lead to individual and community transformation.Vision: It is to become an organization that actively advocates for the needs of our community and fair treatment, through the inclusion of the different ranches, associations and social resources.Objectives:

• Provide English language classes for parents.
• Open direct communication channels with schools, government institutions, health centers, churches, libraries, among others.
• Connect and inform with the different associations with a Hispanic presence dedicated to benefiting our community with opportunities and resources.
• Training and support in the education and well-being of our children, through knowledge of the existing programs.  CIPL for its acronym in English Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, is a program for parents to learn more. We need you. We need more parents who actively advocate and represent our children in and out of their schools.

Also:

• Connect with people from the Hispanic community.
• Actively promote inclusion between cultures.
• Form a great family where we can support each other with respect and freedom.

The members that make up F.I.E.S.T.A are parents, people from different community organizations, schools, state government, agencies, private corporations, religious institutions and higher education.

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence recently hosted a week-long series of discussions on racial equity in Kentucky’s public schools. The series, titled Black Minds Matter, focused on formulating solutions on how to close academic achievement gaps and postsecondary attainment gaps between African American students and their peers at the state and local levels.

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“Through this series on racial equity in education we focused on solutions – specifically finding ways that policymakers, educators, parents, students, and communities can work together to ensure we are delivering on the promise of public education for each and every student,” said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey. “In 2015, 45 percent of our entering African American students were reported fully ready for kindergarten, but by 2019, we had equipped only 30 percent of them to score proficient or above in K-PREP reading.”

Blom Ramsey says Kentucky education data also show that our education system isn’t preparing Black students for college and career at the same rate as their White peers.

“In 2019, there was a 32.5 percent gap between Kentucky White and Black students on transition readiness,” she said. “This is clearly a failure of our system to deliver the education that our Black students need to thrive in our economy, and we must collectively own our truths in order to address this inequity.”

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Ways to take action

The first installment in a series of Community Toolkits from the Prichard Committee is also available for download. It details what Kentuckians can do in their own communities, schools and districts to help to support the unique needs of students and put an end to systemic barriers that serve to hold students back.

The Prichard Committee has formalized a standing coalition for Equity in Education: Early Childhood through Postsecondary. The coalition will be open to all citizens interested in repair longstanding failures to deliver educational excellence for students who have been marginalized or historically disadvantaged by our systems. An online signup form is available at prichardcommittee.org/equity-coalition.

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Black Minds Matter Video Conversations
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September 22, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Benjamin Gies
502-381-1192
ben@prichardcommittee.org

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Kentucky Leaders Warn Tough Times Ahead for Child Care Access Without Significant State Investment

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FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY – The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and a team of statewide partners including Kentucky Youth Advocates, Metro United Way, United Way of Greater Cincinnati,  United Way of Kentucky, Appalachian Early Childhood Network, Learning Grove, 4-C, EC LEARN, and others released their findings today from A Fragile Ecosystem IV: Will Kentucky Child Care Survive When The Dollars Run Out? The survey of Kentucky child care providers underscored how the sector will be impacted once federal American Rescue Plan COVID relief dollars run out.

The survey found that:

• Over 70% of Kentucky child care providers will be forced to raise tuition for working parents
• Close to 40% indicated that providers would cut staff wages
• Close to 30% of child care providers said they would layoff staff
• Over 20% of providers indicated they would permanently close their child care center

“Nearly three years into the pandemic, Kentucky’s child care sector remains on shaky ground and the sector is bracing for more challenging times ahead. The results of A Fragile Ecosystem IV show the need for greater financial support from Frankfort, and for continued substantial, engaged planning with providers,” said Benjamin Gies Director of Early Childhood Policy & Practice for The Prichard Committee.

“As Kentucky rapidly approaches a funding cliff caused by the end of federal American Rescue Plan funding, time is of the essence to ensure Kentucky’s child care and early education infrastructure is sustained and strengthened for working parents immediately and in the long term,” said Brigitte Blom, President & CEO of The Prichard Committee.

The event in Frankfort was joined by statewide early childhood advocates, members of the KY Strong Start Coalition, and legislative leaders.

“Child care is the workforce behind the workforce,” said Representative Samara Heavrin (R-18). “Without access to affordable and quality child care, more Kentuckians will be kept out of the workforce. The lack of accessible child care already accounts for a loss of over $570 million in lost earnings, business productivity and tax revenue each year in Kentucky.  This is why I am an advocate for the private sector to be involved in the process. We need to encourage more of our businesses here in Kentucky to start looking at offering some type of childcare as a benefit to their employees, just as they would insurance or leave time. Our commonwealth cannot afford to see child care access worsen, because we cannot afford to lose more people in our workforce.”

“In these past two years, the vital nature of early childhood education, particularly reliable and accessible childcare, has become more apparent to the public,” Senator Danny Carroll, R-Benton, said. “Kentucky’s child care sector has faced immense challenges. Today’s press conference and dialogue aim to bring awareness to additional challenges on the horizon as federal ARPA dollars supporting centers lapse. I, co-chair  Heavrin and all members of the Early Childhood Education Task Force are working with intent and purpose to identify ways to help providers and families. Across the workforce spectrum, we are seeing businesses, schools, law enforcement and so many more starving for employees. Kentucky’s workforce is the greatest obstacle to continued economic growth, and I consider a solution to childcare needs fundamentally important in addressing workforce needs.

Senator Carroll added, “I appreciate the Prichard Committee being an ally in our efforts to strengthen the state’s childcare sector and bring awareness to the issues facing Kentucky child care providers and those they serve.

Senator Carroll and Representative Heavrin also serve as co-chairs of the Kentucky Early Childhood Education Taskforce, a bipartisan group of state legislators working to develop long term solutions for Kentucky’s early education sector.

Dr. Terry Brooks, Executive Director of Kentucky Youth Advocates added, “Parents cannot go to work if they don’t have access to reliable and affordable child care in their community in which their children are safe, cared for, and learning. Quality child care is the key to a strong future workforce in Kentucky, especially as centers provide an important environment for children to develop problem-solving and other social skills. An investment in child care now is an investment in our future.”

State advocates urged leaders in Frankfort to keep early childhood funding top of mind as legislators plan for Kentucky’s next budget session in 2024. As Kentucky speeds toward a funding cliff caused by the end of federal American Rescue Plan funding, the fate of working parents, and their ability to fully contribute to the commonwealth’s economy, hangs in the balance.

“Kentucky’s child care crisis began long before 2020,” Metro United Way President & CEO Adria Johnson said. “Perhaps the steady pace of closures muted the collective impact. But, in 2020, the closing of doors rang throughout our communities, and today child care providers tell us it will become deafening without action. Metro United Way is deeply grateful to work alongside policymakers and administrative leaders dedicated to ensuring Kentucky families and employers have the accessible, affordable, quality child care sector our Commonwealth needs. We urge them–and all–to hear the voices in A Fragile Ecosystem. They are the sounds of solutions.”

Shannon Starkey-Taylor, Learning Grove CEO added, “We want to thank the Prichard Committee and our Kentucky partners for eliciting these survey results. They provide important insight into the immense struggle in the child care sector to maintain financial viability and quality care and instruction under the pressures caused by Covid and economic stress on wages.

To read the full report, click here.

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The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led organization working to improve education in Kentucky – early childhood through postsecondary.

Why is mixed-delivery preschool needed? Can’t we just expand the public school system?

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Many local school districts lack the personnel and facility space needed to readily expand public preschool to all four-year-olds. Public-private partnerships among already existing private child care facilities and the public school system eliminate barriers to the sustainable expansion of preschool, such as facilities capacity and teacher shortages faced by public school districts.

A full-scale expansion of public preschool without public-private partnerships will crash the private child care industry, leaving limited to no care available for families with children aged 0-3, according to the Early Care and Education Consortium.

• In Tulsa, Oklahoma, where free public preschool accounts for most preschool programming, costs of early care and education increased 33% overall from 2008 to 2018, with spikes of up to 55% for infants and toddlers. And from 2005 to 2018, 43% of all licensed early care and education providers in Oklahoma closed, leaving parents of children aged 0-3 without care and children behind in their early development (Early Care & Education Consortium, 2021).
• California saw the number of home-based-providers decrease by almost 30% from 2008 to 2016, largely due to the increase in state funded 4-year-old Preschool programs. An Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC) analysis shows that if 4-year-olds are pulled out of their current settings as part of the expansion, providers anticipate having to raise prices in the 0-3 space by ~40% (Early Care & Education Consortium, 2021).
• In New York City, a system many see as the model for universal preschool, one study points to as much as a 20% reduction of available infant and toddler care after the implementation of universal 4-year-old preschool in 2014. Furthermore, all lost slots were found to be in high poverty areas, and the decline was not offset by an increase in provision in the home day care market (Early Care & Education Consortium, 2021).

Additionally, public preschool via a mixed-delivery system better serves the needs of parents in the workforce by offering full-day and full-year preschool services to children that match the work schedules of parents.

For an explainer video on the challenges faced in the expansion of public preschool, watch this video by the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Guest Post by Jill Handley - Principal, Kenwood Elementary

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As a principal who grounds her work in leading a school that is a model of inclusivity, I know that optimal student success in achievement, engagement, and sense of belonging occurs when there is a strong partnership between home and school.

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Whenever I talk with families, I tell them our partnership is like a triangle with the student at the top, the school on one side, and the family on the other.  If any one of those sides or vertices are broken, optimal student success cannot occur.

Four years ago, I attended a professional development session at the ESEA Conference with Dr. Steve Constantino where he shared ideas from his book, Engage Every Family (2015). In the book, Dr. Constantino outlines five principles of family engagement that schools should consider. Those five principles are closely aligned to Dr. Joyce Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement and with the Commissioner’s Parent Advisory Council’s (CPAC) overarching objectives outlined in The Missing Piece of the Proficiency Puzzle that was released by The Prichard Committee in 2007.

Hungry for more ideas to better engage our families, I devoured the book and immediately ordered a copy for each member of our Family and Community Engagement (FCE) Committee.  We engaged in a book study and began developing our own understanding of the difference between family involvement and family engagement. Next, we started to reflect upon our family engagement practices by asking the question, “Would every family choose us?” Using this question as a guide, we implemented several of the strategies listed in the book which led to an increase in family engagement and student achievement.

Like many schools, we pride ourselves on the relationships we establish with our families and community partners. We always work hard to initiate positive outreach to develop trust and mutual respect with our families and have used a variety of methods to engage in two-way communication. In 2019, when we were recognized as a State and National School of Character, part of the process involved family interviews.  Listening to the way families responded with pride about their relationship with our school was such a bucket filler and affirmed we were on the right track to engaging our families.

As a Title 1 School with over 84% of our students qualifying for free or reduced lunch and 46% of our students speaking English as a Second Language, creating equitable opportunities for learning has always been a priority for Kenwood Elementary. To help achieve this goal it often means helping remove non-academic barriers for our students and families. We are fortunate to have a Family Resource Center (FRC) Coordinator who helps support this work; but the truth is schools have significant student and family needs that extend beyond the capacity of one family/community-based position.  As a result, we chose to allocate funding to create a certified Family Ambassador position which took effect just before the pandemic began.  During NTI the need to help remove non-academic barriers and provide equitable opportunities increased tremendously and thankfully our Family Ambassador, Aimee McDonnell worked closely with our FRC Coordinator to lead our FCE team in supporting families.

While connecting with and supporting families during NTI allowed us to deepen our relationships, it also highlighted a need to take an even more comprehensive approach to supporting families.  Understanding the needs schools have, our district family engagement specialist, Chrystal Hawkins, partnered with the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) to provide differentiated family engagement support for schools.  We signed up for individualized support and were partnered with Cindy Baumert from NCFL who helped take our family engagement to a whole new level.  As a result of our work with Cindy, we developed a family engagement committee with parents who met monthly to give feedback and insight.  Our work with Chrystal and Cindy helped us transition from doing school to families to doing school with families by engaging their voice on the front end of planning.

It was during our work with Cindy that we found out about the Family Friendly Certification.  Proud of the work we had been engaging in, we were excited to apply. As the recipient of several other recognitions, we knew that applying would undoubtedly require us to provide evidence of our accomplishments.  Because of the success we had achieved with our families we initially thought, “Of course we are a family friendly school, and we have lots of evidence to prove that.” What we didn’t anticipate was the critical lens we would have to examine our practices through.

We began by conducting the Kentucky Family and School Partnership Self-Assessment and realized that we did have a lot of surface level evidence of our family engagement success; however, the self-assessment caused us to take a deeper dive into our practices to refine and add to what we were already doing. Our FCE Committee developed action plans for each of the five components of the self-assessment that focused on creating sustainable systems and structures to support each of the five areas of family engagement. The plans outlined what we were already doing and what we needed to do and included objectives, strategies/actions steps, timelines, responsible parties, resources/funding, measurements of success, and equity considerations.

Many of the strategies and resources we included in our action plans came from the training we engaged in as a result of the application process, along with the resources in the Kentucky Family and School Partnership Guide and the Kentucky Family Engagement Digital Playbook. Having detailed plans allowed us to have a laser-like focus on immediate actions steps we could take. Some examples of the ways in which we improved our practices because of the process are

• Creating a designated “community center” within the school for families to connect with school staff and other families
• Eliminating all “reserved for staff” parking and instead reserving it for visitors to create a more welcoming environment for families and community members
• Increased family voice through surveys and conversations to inform school needs
• Development of MTSS for Families that connects each family with at least one caring adult from the school (besides their child’s teacher) that acts as a liaison and advocate for the family

Dr. Mapp reinforces the need for schools to prioritize family engagement from being seen as an add-on for student success to being integrated as a core pillar of teaching and learning. Engaging in the process of applying for and becoming the first school in the state to certify as a Family Friendly School not only helped solidify that integrated pillar for us, but also provided resources and support to make it happen.

We are so honored to have earned this distinction and are grateful to our families and community partners who helped make it happen. We also understand that becoming Family Friendly Certified is only the beginning.  Now that we have created a systematic approach to truly engaging all families, we must make sure we examine all decisions for teaching and learning through a family engagement lens. If schools and districts are going to truly engage families as co-producers in their child’s education, then family engagement systems and structures must be re-examined and funding for positions and resources must become a priority.

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References

Commissioner’s Parent Advisory Council. (2007). The missing piece of the proficiency puzzle: Recommendations for involving families and community in improving student achievement.

Constantino, S. M. (2015). Engage every family: Five simple principles. Corwin.

Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9).

Mapp, K. L., & Kuttner, P. J. (2013). Partners in education: A dual capacity-building framework for family–school partnerships.

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Greater Owensboro has a strong heritage of joining together to solve challenges and build better lives for our citizens. We are a community rich in opportunity, poised for growth in the years and decades ahead because of our can-do spirit.

The time is right to build upon these successes and take the next steps to make Greater Owensboro the best place to learn, live, work, and play. The research is clear – the path to opportunity for all begins with the start we provide to our youngest children ages 0-8.

Access to early childhood education is critical to the success of Greater Owensboro. Exposure to high quality early childhood education has shown to close gaps in achievement for all children throughout their educational and life experiences. Children who participate in early learning arrive at kindergarten prepared, ultimately increasing their likelihood of securing proficiency in reading and math by the close of the third grade. Such gains in early learning mean that these same children are 40% less likely to drop out of high school.¹

Providing early childhood education access builds the future workforce of the community, while supporting Greater Owensboro’s current workforce. The lack of available early childhood education has substantial annual costs in lost earnings, business productivity, and tax revenue. In Kentucky, the lack of high quality and affordable early childhood education for working families accounts for $573 million in lost earnings, business productivity, and tax revenue. ²

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Investments in high-quality early childhood education result in higher rates of educational attainment, a reduction in health costs, a reduction in the incidence of crime, less demand for social welfare services, and a more competitive local economy for Greater Owensboro.

All in the community stand to gain from this work. Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman released research in 2016 that found: Every dollar spent on high-quality, birth-to-five programs for disadvantaged children delivers a 13% annual return on investment. Children are not the only beneficiaries – the economic benefits of the additional wages earned by parents with access to high-quality care are capable of paying for any costs associated with developing a high quality early childhood education system.³

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In response to this data, The Public Life Foundation of Owensboro asked a broad array of local stakeholders to join the Greater Owensboro Partnership for Early Development, which over an eight-month period:

• Met seven times for in-depth discussion and review of early childhood education (ECE) research.
• Examined Greater Owensboro’s ECE landscape and access to ECE programs for children from birth to age 5.
• Considered opportunities, challenges, and costs to re-imagine the early childhood ecosystem of Greater Owensboro.
• Discussed lessons learned from other communities with innovative ECE models; and
• Developed recommendations to significantly expand access to ECE programs over the next 5 years, creating a pathway forward for all Greater Owensboro children to have the opportunity for quality early learning to thrive in school and life.

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Current ECE Landscape

To gauge the current accessibility of high quality early childhood education throughout Greater Owensboro, the committee consulted with The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and The Martin School of Public Policy at the University of Kentucky. The Greater Owensboro ECE landscape analysis found:

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1. Significant gaps exist in Kindergarten-readiness for children throughout Greater Owensboro.

• On average, approximately 49% of Greater Owensboro students arrived at Kindergarten unprepared as reported by the Brigance screener in 2019-2020.
• On average, approximately 59% of economically disadvantaged students, 76% of students with disabilities, and 75% of English learning students arrived at kindergarten unprepared in Greater Owensboro.

Source: 2019-20 Kentucky School Report Card

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2. Greater Owensboro students who score below the kindergarten readiness level have a strong likelihood of failing to reach proficiency on the 3rd grade reading test.

• On average, 46.9% of Greater Owensboro students failed to reach reading proficiency by the close of 3rd grade as reported by 2018-2019 K-PREP scores.
• On average, approximately 55% of economically disadvantaged students, 69% of students with disabilities, and 63.5% of English learning students failed to reach reading proficiency by the close of 3rd grade in Greater Owensboro.
• Students who do not score Ready on the kindergarten readiness screener have a weaker likelihood of scoring proficient or distinguished on the 3rd grade reading test.

Source: 2018-19 Kentucky School Report Card

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Students who scored below the readiness threshold in 2016 were highly likely to be retained before 3rd grade or to score novice or apprentice on the 3rd grade reading assessment. Meanwhile, students who met the kindergarten readiness standard were more likely to meet proficiency.

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3. Only about 20% of Greater Owensboro children under age 5 have access to ECE services.

• The U.S. Census estimates that 6,773 children under the age of 5 reside in Greater Owensboro.
• Kentucky’s 2020 Early Childhood Profile estimates that across Greater Owensboro:
  • 267 children receive care in self-contained Head Start or Early Head Start programs.
  • 383 children are served through Head Start and Public Preschool or in blended programs.
  • 700 children are served in a self-contained Public Preschool program.
  • Of 6,773 children in Greater Owensboro, only 1,350 are enrolled in the above ECE services.
• Additionally, there are 39 licensed child care centers that serve children under the age of 5, as well as one certified family child care home in Greater Owensboro.
• While collectively these providers are permitted to enroll no more than 3,787 children, it is likely that actual enrollment is below this capacity limit.
• The Early Childhood Profile indicates that 613 Greater Owensboro children received support through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) in 2021. These data are our only indicator of private child care enrollment.

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Public Preschool

• Daviess County Public Schools has Public Preschool classrooms in 12 elementary schools. Owensboro Public Schools operates the program in partnership with Head Start in the Hager Preschool and Seven Hills Preschool.
• The standard state model includes a half-day program four days a week, with the fifth day reserved for teachers to meet with families, prepare curriculum materials, and evaluate data.
• Prior to March 2020, Daviess County used the standard half-day, 4 day a week model, Owensboro has been able to operate a full-day, 5-day-a-week model through its partnership with Head Start.
• The 2019-20 Kentucky School Report Card shows that a total of 720 children attended preschool in Daviess County and 218 attended preschool in Owensboro Public Schools.

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Child Care

• Data from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as of July 2021 includes 39 licensed child care centers that serve students under the age of 5, as well as one certified family child care home.
• In total, these providers are permitted to enroll no more than 3,787 children.
• While Daviess County is not a child care desert, the data broken down by Census tract suggest that certain areas of the county may be child care deserts, most dramatically in the northwest part of the county.
• The Early Childhood Profile indicates that only 613 Daviess County children received support through the Child Care Assistance Program despite 3,434 children under age 6 living at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.
• On average Daviess County families pay about $7,800/year for infants, $7,670 for toddlers, and $7,280/year for preschool children to attend private child care centers.

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Early Head Start and Head Start

• Audubon Area Community Services is one of 25 programs in the nation to receive national Program of Excellence designation by the National Head Start Association. It offers full-day, year-around services in 10 sites across the county, as well as a home-based visiting model.
• Gaps are most pronounced for infants and toddlers, with the number of eligible children well exceeding the availability of Early Head Start slots.
• According to Audubon’s 2018 Needs Assessment for Daviess County, an estimated 822 infants and toddlers in Daviess County are eligible for Early Head Start, with funding for 120 slots.
• 551 young children in Daviess County are estimated to be eligible for Head Start, with 357 funded slots.

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4. Access to Quality ECE Services is Not Universal

• A range of quality in licensed and certified ECE services exists in Daviess County as defined by programs participating in Kentucky’s All STARS system.
• Daviess County has 8 child care providers at four or five stars (these include licensed Early Head Start and Head Start sites).
• 14 public preschool programs have reached five stars.

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5. Disparities in Workforce Development & Professional Pay Create Gaps in Access to Quality ECE Services

• According to the Labor Market Information Report from the Kentucky Center for Statistics, across the Green River Local Workforce Area, an estimated 650 individuals are employed as child care workers.
• Their mean hourly wage is $10.21 and median is $9.77. In Kentucky, child care educators must have a high school diploma or equivalent, but they can access state-funded scholarships to receive a Certified Development Associate (CDA) credential.
• In Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Daviess County, all teachers have bachelor’s degrees and all assistants must receive a CDA in their first year on the job.
• Preschool teachers in the public schools receive the same salaries and benefits of K-12 teachers according to each district’s salary schedule and compensation package.
• They must have a bachelor’s degree with an Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) teaching certificate, which prepares them in early childhood development and special education.

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The Greater Owensboro Partnership for Early Development’s 6-Point Plan ECE Services

Recommendation 1: Launch a public advocacy campaign to encourage community-wide support of quality Early Childhood Education.

Every community member in Daviess County – families, educators, business owners, and community leaders – must understand how access to quality ECE services benefits not only parents with young children, but the community as a whole.

Recommendation 2: Implement Early Childhood Education talent development and retention strategies to meet Early Childhood Education workforce needs.

The Governor’s Office for Early Childhood developed an innovative apprenticeship program aimed at developing high quality ECE educators for students in their final two years of high school. Students can earn an ECE credential under the direction of an ECE mentor during a co-op experience. A similar program exists for adults interested in earning a child care director credential.

Individuals enrolled in either program are eligible to receive a full-tuition scholarship for an Associate’s Bachelor’s, and/or Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education through Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
State resources currently exist to build a high quality ECE workforce in Daviess County.

Recommendation 3: Implement employee-based child care partnerships among employers and child care centers.

Small, midsize, and large businesses can be incentivized to offer child care employee-benefits to all employees. Public-private partnerships, federal tax incentives, and a matching grant available through the Kentucky Division of Child Care are each pathways to growing child care benefits for Greater Owensboro employers.

Recommendation 4: Identify and enroll all families eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) subsidy and sustain CCAP eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level and make all children within 200% of the federal poverty level eligible for public preschool.

Innovative community partnerships with organizations such as The Center of Owensboro, Audubon Area Community Services, and/or Owensboro Public Schools/Daviess County Schools can close gaps in access for enrollment in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) for families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Additionally, community groups such as the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce can advocate for the Kentucky Legislature to make CCAP eligibility at 200% of the federal poverty level permanent and to raise public preschool eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level to reduce barriers to ECE learning for low and middle income families.

Recommendation 5: Raise the quality of all child care centers to 3 STARS or above and clear the Head Start, preschool, and child care waiting lists for all children under age 5.

The Daviess County Child Care Community Council can partner with entities such as Child Care Aware and/or Lakeshore Learning to coach child care centers rated below 3 STARS to raise their quality ratings.

Audubon Area Early Head Start and Head Start, Owensboro Public Schools, Daviess County Schools, and the Daviess County Child Care Community Council can be surveyed to compile a list of families currently on their waiting list. Local philanthropy can be utilized to minimize barriers to ECE entry and secure a funding source to clear waiting lists.

Recommendation 6: Utilize data to monitor for continuous improvement of educational outcomes for children enrolled in Early Childhood Education programs.

The research is clear that access to high quality ECE services for children under the age of 5 increases kindergarten-readiness and proficiency in literacy and numeracy by the close of the 3rd grade. Kindergarten-readiness and proficiency in literacy and numeracy by the close of the 3rd grade must be evaluated using the appropriate state mandated measures in the years following the implementation of the above recommendations.

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A Call to Action

Quality of life begins with the start we provide to our children. The community partners represented in this body of work stand united to develop an early childhood education system capable of preparing all children to thrive.

The Greater Owensboro Partnership for Early Development understands that the release of this report is only a first step. The change we seek is an investment in the community’s most precious resource – its next generation.

We invite all to join us as we take the next steps together in creating a community in which all children have the opportunity for quality early learning to thrive in school and life. In doing so, we make Greater Owensboro the best place to learn, live, work, and play.

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Greater Owensboro Partnership for Early Development Members by Name and Organization

Dr. Matthew Constant, Superintendent, Owensboro Public Schools
Matthew Robbins, Superintendent, Daviess County Public Schools
Dr. Scott Williams, President, Owensboro Community and Technical College
Dr. Stacy Edds-Ellis, Dean of Academic Affairs, Owensboro Community and Technical College
Pat Jones, Board Member, Owensboro Community and Technical College
Amanda Epley, Director of Child Care, Owensboro Family YMCA
Erica Wade, Executive Director, The Center of Owensboro-Daviess County, Inc.
Sherry Baber, Preschool Coordinator, Owensboro Public Schools
Chris Westerfield, Preschool Coordinator, Daviess County Schools
Candance Castlen Brake, President and CEO, Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce
Hannah Thurman, Director of Talent Programs, Communications, and Events, Executive Director of Leadership
Owensboro, Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce
Brandon Harley, Deputy CEO, Audubon Area Community Services
Amanda Huff, Director, Daviess County Early Childhood Community Council
Keith Cottoner, Executive Director, The H.L. Neblett Community Center
Janet Land, Preschool Director, Settle United Methodist Church
Linda Wahl, Director (Retired), Building Stronger Families
DJ Johnson, Representative, Kentucky House District 13
Suzanne Miles, Majority Caucus Chair, Kentucky House District 7
Clay Ford, Partner, EM Ford
Dr. Thomas Mitzel, President, Kentucky Wesleyan College
Dr. Larry Hostetter, President, Brescia University
Dr. Ashley N. Holland, Chair School of Education, Brescia University
Dr. Nick Brake, Director of Doctoral Studies, Western Kentucky University
Susan Montalvo-Gesser, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of Owensboro
Doug Eberhart, Vice President, Ohio Valley United Way
Stephanie Bertram, Director of Resource Development and Marketing, Ohio Valley United Way
Amy Silvert, Executive Director, Green River Area Community Foundation
Rosemary Conder, Executive Director (Retired), CASA Ohio Valley
Candi Kamuf, R.N. HANDS Program Manager, Green River District Health Department
Keith Sanders, Executive Director, Hager Educational Foundation
David Boeyink, President (Retired), Public Life Foundation of Owensboro
Joe Berry, President, Public Life Foundation of Owensboro
Bruce Hager, Chair, Public Life Foundation of Owensboro
Debbie Zuerner, Director of Community Engagement, Owensboro Health

Partnership Staff:
Benjamin M. Gies, Director of Early Childhood Policy & Practice, The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

References

Audubon Area Head Start – Daviess County Community Assessment – 2018 https://www.audubonarea.com/documents/headstart/assessment/18-19%20CA%20Daviess%20County.pdf

Bishop-Josef , S., Beakey, C., Watson, S., & Garrett , T. (2021, June 2). Want to Fix the Economy? Fix the Child Care Crisis: Workers and Employers Feel Pain in Pocketbooks and Productivity . The Infant-Toddler Child Care Crisis Inflicts Economic Damage Across the Nation. https://strongnation.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/602/83bb2275-ce07-4d74-bcee-ff6178daf6bd.pdf?1547054862&inline;%20filename=%22Want%20to%20Grow%20the%20Economy?%20Fix%20the%20Child%20Care%20Crisis.pdf%22

Cost of Child Care – https://www.costofchildcare.org/ Heckman, J., Garcia, J., Leaf, D., Prados, M., Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago. The Life Cycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program. Working Paper 2016-035. (Dec. 2016). https://heckmanequation.org/assets/2017/01/Garcia_Heckman_ Leaf_etal_2016_life-cycle-benefits-ecp_r1-p.pdf

Kentucky School Report Card – www.kyschoolreportcard.com Early Childhood Profile – https://kystats.ky.gov/Latest/ECP

Kentucky Strengthening Families Profile https://cssp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/KentuckyState-
Profile-2021.pdf

LWA Wage and Employment – https://kystats.ky.gov/KYLMI

Progress and Next Steps for Early Childhood in Kentucky: Birth Through 3rd Grade. The Prichard Committee: Early Childhood Education Study Group, 2015. https://prichardcommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ECE-Study-Group-Report-2015.pdf.

Sherif, V., Rous, B., & Rojas, J. (2019). Kentucky’s 2019 child care workforce study. Lexington, KY: Human Development Institute, University of Kentucky. https://www.childcareawareky.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/09/2019-KY-Workforce-Report_Updated_9032019.pdf

2020 Market Rate Report – https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/dcc/Documents/2020marketrate.pdf

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