Kentucky school districts are required to offer developmentally-appropriate early childhood programs for four-year-old children at risk of educational failure and three- and four-year-old children with disabilities. To participate as a four-year-old at-risk student, a child must be eligible for the federal free or reduced lunch program. To see income guidelines, please click here. Any child three or four years old, who has a disability, may participate regardless of family income.
Services provided include:
- Hearing screening (hearing, vision, growth and general health, immunizations)
- Developmental screening (cognitive, communication, self-help/adaptive, motor and social-emotional skills)
- Coordination with medical, health, mental health and social service agencies (to meet the comprehensive needs of children)
- Developmentally appropriate preschool education (a half-day developmentally appropriate preschool program, generally in a mainstream setting)
- Nutrition (at least one meal plus nutrition information as part of the curriculum)
- Parent education (a minimum of two home visits, parent-teacher conferences, and opportunities to volunteer, attend parent education workshops, and otherwise learn about and help support their child's development)
- Transportation (supervised transportation as a related service to attend preschool)