The chair of the Senate Families and Children Committee, wants to give a cash reward to parents or child care providers who get Kentucky kids ready for kindergarten.

Details.

As we begin a look at tonight's legislative update.

Senator Danny Carroll, a Republican from Paducah, presented Senate Bill 191 to the Families and Children Committee today.

The bill would establish a three year pilot program through the University of Kentucky, which would give a $2,000 cash reward to child care centers or low income parents whose children are designated, quote, kindergarten ready when they enter school.

Senator Carroll said he hopes the incentive could lead to more quality child care centers and improve Kentucky's kindergarten readiness rate, which is currently around 50%.

If we can get a strong foundation and we can get 8,090% of our kids kindergarten ready.

Imagine the progress and success we can have in those first three years and beyond.

If teachers can focus on moving the kids forward instead of trying to get kids caught up who are not kindergarten ready.

So that's a big emphasis.

As far as funding the program goes.

Senator Carroll said the state's previous budget included $2 million that was not utilized.

It's his plan to request that those dollars be put toward this pilot program.

The Western Kentucky senator also said, as far as he knows, no other states have implemented this type of legislation.

The bill passed out of committee today without opposition.