Thirty years ago, on April 11, 1990, Governor Wallace Wilkinson signed the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) into law. Those of you who have been longtime members and partners of the Prichard Committee know that our history is grounded in this nationally unprecedented education reform act and the landmark court case that preceded it.
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My wife and I stared blankly at one another last month when Governor Andy Beshear announced that child care providers would close in response to the Covid-10 pandemic. As parents of an infant and preschooler, we had to make quick shifts (like so many families) to handle what has become a daily routine of managing workloads, parenting, diapering, and teaching.
Added to that was a new worry. We love our child care center, the teachers and the staff. It is in the neighborhood in which I grew up. We desperately want it to reopen when this public health crisis wanes.
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APRIL 2020 \ SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF
For more than 100 high school students in Graves County, thinking about the effects of coronavirus arrived months before prevention measures transformed students’ lives and left school staffs and communities scrambling to meet the needs of suddenly isolated students and families.
Kentucky’s aggressive response to limiting the virus’s spread upended student and family life. In addition to new modes of teaching and learning, the crisis has also jolted adults who support schools into new directions and prompted community responses to supplement student learning and promote families’ welfare.
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Estimates are starting to trickle out as to how education funding in the CARES Act will be distributed to states. For child care, K-12 and higher education, Kentucky estimates include: Child Care – Through the $3.5 billion appropriated through the Child Care Development Block Grant, the Center for Law…
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On Wednesday of this week, the U.S. Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The emergency relief measure provides approximately $2 trillion dollars in federal stimulus to support individuals, businesses, as well as state and local governments weather the COVID-19 crisis.
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Prichard Committee President & CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey sent following letter to members of the budget conference committee urging investments in all levels of education as Kentucky recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. Please urge members of the Kentucky General Assembly to increase education funding now – from early childhood to K-12, to higher education.
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The COVID-19 outbreak has given us many new challenges to ponder and a new reality to face. It has also given us an opportunity to look backward on our lives in search of past experiences that might help each of us make sense of the situation and bring some hope and peace to others who may be struggling. The closure of all childcare facilities, schools, and colleges for the time being has been daunting to accept for those of us in the education community – from advocates like us at the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, to teachers, parents and students.
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Due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, Kentucky childcare facilities have been ordered to close. 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 for both parents and providers impacted by this closure.
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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.
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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.
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