The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood is set to receive nearly $8 million of Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement funds that will promote early childhood education around Kentucky.
Gov. Andy Beshear said the funds will provide developmental screeners for parents of children from birth to 3 years old. The screener is a short, easy-to-use questionnaire that parents can complete to see if their children are meeting developmental and social-emotional milestones and to help identify potential delays in the critical first years before they start school.
Families may access Ages & Stages Questionnaires through various pediatric practices, preschools, health departments, state programs and local agencies as well as through Help Me Grow Kentucky. Some child care centers also offer this screening tool through Child Care Aware. And for more information about having your child screened, contact your Early Childhood Regional Collaborative in your area by emailing ECCouncil@ky.gov.
Beshear added that the funding is in addition to the $1.4 million the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood already receives from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement each fiscal year.