Gov. Matt Bevin says the Commonwealth has been awarded a one-year $25,000 National Governor’s Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices grant to enhance early childhood development.
Through this NGA grant — Integrating and Advancing State Prenatal to Age Three Policies — the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood (GOEC) will collaborate with partner agencies to align policies aimed at enhancing cognitive and socio-emotional development.
Last month, Kentucky was awarded a $10.6 million federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Preschool Development Birth through Five Grant (PDG B-5).
“Kentucky is building a strong foundation to prepare our youngest children for success, and we are grateful for NGA’s investment in that critical mission,” said Gov. Bevin. “This grant will enable the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) to assess current resources and develop necessary supports for our infants, toddlers, and expectant families. As we identify and implement these best practices, the Commonwealth will continue our momentum toward becoming a national model for serving and equipping children and families, especially the most vulnerable among us.”
Specific project goals to be achieved with NGA assistance include:
• Assessing the current nature and alignment of partner agency policies targeting infants, toddlers, and expectant families,
• Assessing opportunities for improving policies and procedures that affect child and family services,
• Increasing state stakeholder awareness of the needs of infants, toddlers, and expectant families, the impact of trauma on family stability and child development, and how to promote resiliency in families,
• Developing a policy agenda targeting comprehensive services and supports for infants, toddlers, and expectant families, and
• Developing guidance for state agencies (adopted by ECAC) for promoting best practice policy strategies.
“The NGA Integrating and Advancing State Prenatal to Age Three Policies grant continues Kentucky’s initiative for innovative and impactful re-visioning of Kentucky’s early care and education system that will include services for infants, toddlers, and expectant families,” said GOEC executive director Linda Hampton. “The PDG and NGA awards will allow GOEC to lead the collaborative efforts among the Kentucky Department of Education, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and Education and Workforce Development Cabinet to create Kentucky’s first aligned prenatal through third grade standards.”
The NGA Center for Best Practices teams and divisions develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges. The center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s governors.
For more information about the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, please visit the website.
