Legislation filed in Kentucky would make pre-K education a reality for all 4-year-olds

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — On Friday, State Representative Anne Gay Donworth filed a bill to make publicly funded preschool available for all four-year-olds in Kentucky.

If it were passed and signed into law, House Bill 460 would help reverse the statewide trend of undereducation in young Kentucky children.

“Even before the pandemic, only half of our children were ‘kindergarten-ready,’ meaning that half of our students were behind academically from the first day they entered school,” Rep. Donworth said. “Today, those rates have dropped three percentage points when compared to 2019, an unacceptable decline that should alarm us all and will be felt for generations.”

The bill would allow different school districts to cooperate locally to provide education access for all four-year-olds in the Bluegrass.

According to a news release, HB 460 would also be aimed at reducing childcare costs. Rep. Donworth said childcare deserts are a problem throughout the Commonwealth in rural as well as urban areas. She said a rainy day fund with billions of dollars in revenue would easily cover the $172 million annual cost that would grant educational access to children in need in Kentucky.

If passed, publicly funded preschool will be available for all four-year-olds beginning in August 2025.

The full bill can be viewed here.