Beshear administration renews push for universal Pre-K as pilot reaches 3,000 students

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is continuing his push for universal Pre-K while the state’s Pre-K Pilot Program operates in select districts and counties, WKYT reported Aug. 5. The report says the pilot currently serves about 3,000 students in Franklin, Rockcastle and Robertson counties and through Glasgow Independent Schools.

WKYT’s coverage frames the pilot as the current vehicle for expanding access to early childhood education across Kentucky. In those communities, the program is already operating at a scale that the report describes as serving thousands of children.

The report also indicates that Beshear’s renewed emphasis on universal Pre-K remains focused on building toward broader statewide participation. WKYT describes the governor’s effort as continuing, rather than ending, despite the program’s current limited geographic footprint.

Among the places named in the WKYT report, Franklin County, Rockcastle County and Robertson County are all included as active pilot areas. In addition, Glasgow Independent Schools participates, providing an urban school district option alongside county-based implementation.

The WKYT article places the program’s current student reach at roughly 3,000. That figure is the only program capacity number included in the reporting, and it anchors the described scope of current implementation rather than any statewide target.

No further details were provided in the WKYT summary about additional counties, funding levels, or a specific legislative timeline for expanding the program beyond the current participating areas. WKYT also did not provide figures in the summary about program costs or per-student spending.