Building a stronger Kentucky by investing in quality early childhood programs was the focus of a seminar last week that drew over 70 business, community and education leaders to the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center.
“We need to ensure that young children get the right kind of stimulating experiences that will support the development of their brain – at home and in early childhood programs,” Nicki Patton Rowe said during the seminar that was sponsored by the Northern Kentucky Education Council, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, and the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Education Services.
“The bottom line is that early experiences matter!”
Rowe, a leading architect of Kentucky’s KIDS NOW initiative, served as the keynote speaker and was joined by panelists who discussed the impact created by investment in quality early childhood programs.
The panel, comprised of community leaders, included: Helen Carroll, United Way Born Learning Academies; Marianne Schmidt Hurtt, PNC Bank; Margaret Hulbert, United Way of Greater Cincinnati; Rebecca DeCecco, Head Start; and Jay Brewer, Dayton Independent Schools.
“Kentucky has a longstanding commitment to early childhood education as a way to level the playing field so each child gets a strong start in life. The brain science further confirms why investment in high-quality early care and education promotes individual opportunity and a stronger workforce. We commend Northern Kentucky business, education, and community leaders for their support of innovative, data-driven strategies to improve school readiness,” shared Cory Curl, Associate Executive Director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.
”Readiness matters for all of our children in NKY. With only 54.5% of children coming to Kindergarten ready to learn, we have more than 2,300 children at an extreme disadvantage at the very beginning of their academic career.” said Polly Lusk Page, Executive Director of the Northern Kentucky Education Council.
“Join us and advocate on behalf of our youngest learners who are not able to advocate for themselves!”