In other education news, this time relating to the littlest of learners, Kentucky is a step closer to rewarding child care providers and parents.

Once students are kindergarten ready.

Senator Danny Carroll, a Republican from Paducah, filed Senate Bill 191.

It proposes a $2,000 payment to providers and parents for each child assessed as being ready for kindergarten.

The University of Kentucky would oversee a pilot project.

Senator Carroll talked about the bill during our discussion about child care on Monday nights.

Kentucky tonight right here on Wkyt.

He says a child whose kindergarten ready will be a step ahead for the rest of their educational experience.

In addition to affecting kindergarten readiness, which will be the priority, which is a metric we look at and we talk about all the time.

This would directly approach that and impact that.

But we looked at, you know, if if more kids come in kindergarten ready and I think our overall average right now in the state, when you consider all sources, has dropped to around 46% readiness.

Those kids that go to, private centers, they're up 65, 70%.

So there's a wide disparity there.

And I think, kids that stay at home, maybe 40%, 43%, if I'm not mistaken.

So it would address those and the kids when they get to school and they're kindergarten ready.

Think about the higher levels of achievement that each child could attain in those first three years that are so critical.

And we know all the metrics.

If a kid can't read by third or fourth grade, where a good likelihood of where they're going to end up when they grow up, and those metrics in those predictions, the data is there.

So it makes perfect sense that we focus on that area and that's where we invest our money is is working towards, kindergarten readiness.

The Senate passed Senate Bill 191 this afternoon by a vote of 35 to 0.

In that a now move on to the House for consideration there.