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$1.2 million awarded to prepare state’s youngest students

64 Community Early Childhood Councils receive funds to support local school readiness initiatives

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 1, 2014) — Gov. Steve Beshear on Monday announced more than $1 million in grants to be awarded to 64 Community Early Childhood Councils (CECCs) covering 88 Kentucky counties to promote school readiness for children. The announcement is part of the Governor’s continued commitment to improving early childhood outcomes for Kentucky’s youngest citizens.

Kindergarten children eating lunch“It is imperative to the future of Kentucky that our children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and succeed,” Beshear said. “That is why we must engage everyone, from lawmakers to families, in making sure all children in the Commonwealth get the best possible start in life.”

CECCs work to develop community-level strategies for improving school readiness and early childhood outcomes. These councils are comprised of community volunteers from local school districts, public health departments, child care providers, Head Start, local libraries, parents and interest groups.

The grants, awarded through the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood (KYGOEC), range from $5,000 to $50,000 per county. The KYGOEC and the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC), both created by Beshear in 2011, work closely with CECCs across the Commonwealth to ensure a strong start for Kentucky’s children.

The CECCs utilize the Early Childhood Profile, a county-by-county profile that shows kindergarten readiness data, participation in publicly funded preschool, Head Start and child care; quality and availability of child care and the education of the early childhood workforce; and demographic data that represent key indicators of possible barriers to success for young children and their families as a planning tool.

“Each community has unique strengths and opportunities for preparing their children for school,” KYGOEC Executive Director Terry Tolan said. “These grants help Community Early Childhood Councils mobilize their communities to improve school readiness at the local level.”

The following is a list of local councils that received grants:

CECC Amount Funded
Bell/Harlan

$28,600

Calloway

$15,100

Campbell/Grant/Kenton

$75,100

Carroll

$6,989

Casey

$7,900

Clinton

$7,000

Daviess

$25,000

Eastern Streams

$40,000

Fleming

$7,000

Floyd

$20,000

Garrard

$8,000

Graves/Marshall

$33,600

Grayson

$14,100

Hancock

$7,000

Hardin

$25,000

Larue

$7,000

Montgomery

$14,100

Owen

$6,400

Pendleton

$7,800

Robertson

$7,000

Warren

$25,000

Woodford

$11,800

Adair

$7,565

Allen/Logan/Simpson

$28,645

Barren

$17,000

Bath

$5,950

Boone

$21,250

Bourbon

$8,245

Breckinridge

$8,415

Butler/Edmonson

$11,900

Caldwell/Lyon/Crittenden

$17,850

Christian

$21,250

Clay

$8,670

Cumberland

$5,950

Four River

$21,675

Hart/Metcalfe/Monroe

$19,805

Hopkins

$17,000

Jackson

$5,950

Jefferson

$42,500

Jessamine

$17,000

Johnson

$10,370

Lawrence

$7,735

Lewis

$5,950

Livingston

$5,950

Madison/Estill/Clark

$42,585

Martin

$5,780

McCracken

$16,150

McLean

$5,950

Meade

$13,940

Mercer

$9,605

Muhlenberg

$12,155

Nelson

$17,000

Northeastern Alliance

$49,215

Ohio

$11,985

OVEC Counties

$60,180

Powell

$6,035

Rowan

$7,565

Rural KIPDA

$17,000

Russell

$6,885

Todd

$6,885

Union

$6,375

Nineteen additional councils covering 27 counties have been invited to apply for the remaining funds of more than $200,000, bringing the total funding amount designated by the govvernor to more than $1.2 million.

For more information on CECCs or the Early Childhood profiles visit http://www.kidsnow.ky.gov/.