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Governor hails $44 million Race to the Top grant Gov. Beshear hails grant as 'game changer."Kentucky one of six winners nationally for latest federal education grants By Kerri Richardson and Terry Sebastian FRANKFORT KY - Kentucky's new $44.3 million Race to the Top grant will jump-start learning, support parents and improve early learning programs for thousands of Kentucky preschoolers, Gov. Steve Beshear said today. The White House announced Thursday that Kentucky is among the six winners of a Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant to support early learning and development reform agendas. The winning states, which will receive a combined $280 million, must show a willingness to carry out sweeping improvements to programs focused on children from birth to age 5. "This $44 million grant represents one of the largest single investments in Kentucky's students - and it's targeted specifically to our youngest students, who will carry the positive impact of these programs throughout their school careers," said Gov. Beshear. "This is an unprecedented opportunity to make the large-scale improvements in early childhood education that we have long known are critical to student success, but have always been shelved because of lack of funding. Make no mistake - we cannot underestimate the good that will come from this grant in the years to come." "Quality early childhood education can mean the difference between success and failure for kids - especially those from low-income families," said Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. "Better preparing young children for school has positive long-term effects on school achievement, whether a student is retained or placed in special education and ultimately whether he or she graduates from high school ready for college and career." "With this grant, Kentucky will be able to make much-needed investments in early learning, which will allow the Commonwealth to build upon the successes of Toyota bornlearning academies and the work that has been done to align our early learning standards throughout the child care and education systems," said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes. "These investments, coupled with other major improvements like expanded Medicaid, kynect, and prevention and early intervention for behavioral health needs, provide the potential for our youngest Kentuckians to become our smartest and healthiest generation yet." "I firmly believe that when we invest in Kentucky's children, we are investing in Kentucky's future," said Sen. Mike Wilson, of Bowling Green. "This funding will give children an opportunity to jump-start learning at an early age, which is proven to give them a better long-term academic achievement. I'm excited to watch the impact these funds will have on our children and our Commonwealth." "This is a great opportunity for the Commonwealth of Kentucky," said Rep. Derrick Graham, of Frankfort. "Once again, this shows Kentucky is moving forward as one of the leaders in education reform and this gives us greater opportunities to invest more in the area of early childhood education. I want to commend Gov. Beshear, First Lady Jane Beshear and Commissioner Holliday for being strong advocates for early childhood development and making it a major element of Kentucky's continued education reform movement." Early Childhood Education is Key to Future Success Investing in quality early childhood education offers substantial benefits for both students and communities for years. Experts say that every dollar spent on preschool and early childhood education programs carries a return on investment ranging from $2 to $17. The PEW Center on the States found that the positive effect of high-quality preschool "generates significant savings because children need fewer higher-priced interventions such as special education and grade retention." High-quality early childhood education increases the likelihood of graduating from high school - one study found that dropout rates were reduced by 25 percent. According to the Prichard Committee, children who attend high-quality preschool are more likely to be employed and have higher earnings as adults. In addition, the Committee for Economic Development (CED), a national nonprofit, nonpartisan business-led public policy organization, found that participants in one long-term preschool study "performed better on other indicators of economic stability, such as owning a home, owning a car, maintaining a savings account, and being financially independent." In October, Kentucky submitted a more than 1,000-page grant proposal, outlining the Kentucky All-STARS plan (Accelerating learning Statewide Through an Advanced Rating System). Kentucky's plan was among 17 entries submitted for the Race to the Top funds. Kentucky All-STARS includes four main components:
This story was posted on 2013-12-19 16:12:33
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