The Strong Start Kentucky coalition unites Kentucky’s early childhood advocates through shared goals to strengthen early care and education for Kentucky children from birth through third grade. The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence serves as convener to the coalition, which meets quarterly and adopts annual policy priorities.
Strong Start Kentucky advocates for policies that ensure all children have access to high-quality early learning opportunities, fostering stronger third-grade outcomes and supporting working families by providing reliable care, reducing financial strain, and enabling parents to fully participate in the workforce. Policy priorities include:
At the Prichard Committee, we believe every Kentucky child deserves a strong start. The earliest years of life are critical to healthy development and future success in school and beyond. By tracking key indicators such as healthy birth weight, child poverty, preschool participation, and kindergarten readiness, we can better understand how Kentucky’s children are faring and where greater support is needed. These measures help guide efforts to ensure all children enter school ready to learn and thrive.
Strong Start Circles of Trust are a community‑based approach to building champions for early care and education across Kentucky communities.
