It takes more than knowing letters and numbers for a child to be ready for kindergarten. Kids also need to have practical skills that allow them to thrive in a classroom, like the ability to self-regulate their emotions, as well as be physically healthy enough to learn. 

To help advocates, early childhood stakeholders, and families better understand how Kentucky’s youngest kids are faring, Child Trends released a new Healthy and Ready to Learn (HRTL) Data Dashboard.

The data examines kindergarten readiness across five domains of development for children ages 3 to 5: 

• Early learning skills
• Social-emotional development
• Self-regulation
• Physical health
• Motor skills

The measure uses data from the National Survey of Children’s Health and offers state-level information that can help policymakers, educators, and families identify both strengths and challenges.

For Kentucky, the findings highlight the need for continued investment in early childhood development.

The data shows that only 51.2% of Kentucky’s 3-year-olds were considered “Healthy and Ready to Learn” overall during the 2022-2024 period. This is lower than the national average of 63.7% for 3-year-olds. 

These results do not mean Kentucky’s young children are failing, but instead suggest that many Kentucky kids need additional support in certain areas to get ready to enter school. A child may be physically healthy but still need support with self-regulation. Likewise, strong early learning skills alone may not be enough if a child is not physically healthy enough to start school. 

In individual domains, Kentucky three-year-olds rank better than the national average in self-regulation, with 75.9% on track in this domain. However, they lag behind the national average in other domains, such as early learning and motor skills – where only 59.5% are on track.

The data reinforces the importance of early childhood programs and family supports. Access to high-quality child care and preschool, developmental screenings, pediatric care, and family-friendly policies can all lead to better developmental outcomes.

These findings should serve as both a call to action and a roadmap.

The Kentucky General Assembly has worked to improve access to and affordability of child care over the last few legislative sessions. However, more work is needed to get kids into early learning opportunities, strengthen maternal and child health programs, and improve family support services and policies, such as paid family leave. The HRTL data provide an opportunity to target these efforts more effectively so kids can enter kindergarten ready to learn. 

Preparing kids for school begins years before the first day of kindergarten. By strengthening support for young children and their families, Kentucky can improve developmental outcomes and ultimately ensure better long-term educational outcomes for all Kentucky kids.