Kentucky to get $36M in federal funding in effort to get more kids 'kindergarten ready'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky is getting $36 million from the federal government to get more kids "kindergarten ready."

It's called the Office of Early Childhood Development Preschool Development Birth through Five grant, which will give the state $11.9 million each year over a three-year period.

Gov. Andy Beshear said funding will help the state develop and expand early learning programs, build an early childhood education workforce talent pipeline, and expand access to high quality education for kids who need it most.

"This is an investment in our kids and also in our future workforce and economy," Beshear said in a news release. "It's personal to me as a dad, because I want all of our kids to have the best opportunities possible right here."

With her daughter by her side, Kentucky's Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said Thursday that the funding is a big step in the right direction.

"We are doing everything we can, to make sure that we are supporting our students from pre-K through higher education and into the workforce," Coleman said.

However, she said, this still falls short of the promise of universal pre-K for every 4-year-old in Kentucky, which Beshear's administration said is a priority.