Research has shown that a child’s brain develops more from birth to age five than at any other time in their life. Brain development during those critical years has a lasting impact on a child’s ability to learn and succeed in school and in life.
Children without access to quality child care and early learning experiences may enter Kindergarten unprepared.
To discuss what’s being done in Kentucky to ensure that children aren’t being left behind, KET’s Renee Shaw hosts a town hall-style conversation about the importance of early childhood education with lawmakers, policymakers, educators and early childhood care providers. Early Learning: A KET Forum airs Monday, April 22 at 9/8 pm on KET.
Shaw will moderate a panel of participants, which includes:
• Linda Hampton, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Early Childhood
• Jay Brewer, Superintendent, Dayton Independent Schools
• State Senator Danny Carroll, CEO, Easterseals West Kentucky
• Mary Jolly, Community Health Manager, Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness
• Bill Buchanan, Office of Special Education and Early Learning, Kentucky Department of Education
• Mike Hammons, Senior Director, Advocacy for Children, Inc.
• Brenda Hagan, Owner, Crocus Academy
• Whitney Stevenson, Associate Director of Early Childhood Education, Fayette County Public Schools
• June Widman, Executive Director, Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coalition
• Alice Nelson, Family/Community Early Childhood Coordinator, First 5 LEX
The program also includes video segments highlighting the importance of early childhood education and parents’ perspectives on the value of early educational experiences for their children.
Early Learning: A KET Forum is a KET production, produced by Renee Shaw.
KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, where learning comes to life for more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile.
Learn more about Kentucky’s preeminent public media organization at KET.org, on Twitter @KET and at facebook.com/KET.
