Kentucky Chamber President Dave Adkisson congratulated Kentucky’s education leaders on their successful application for a Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant, which was announced on Thursday.
Kentucky is one of six winners to receive a federal grant of more than $44 million to improve early learning programs across the state and improve the educational attainment level of Kentuckians.
This investment, one of the largest single investments since the Kentucky Education Reform Act in 1990, will help Kentucky realize its vision of kindergarten readiness for all children.
The Chamber has long been a supporter of early childhood programs. Early childhood education is a proven long-term investment that stimulates economic growth and ensures future prosperity. Economists have found that high-quality early childhood education offers one of the highest returns of any public investment – more than $7 for every dollar spent. Right now, every dollar put toward early childhood education is both an educational and economic stimulus for families.
“In a globally competitive workplace, we can no longer allow our children to enter school unprepared,” said Adkisson. “This will be a good step toward a future high-quality workforce that can compete in the global economy and contribute to our thriving communities.”
