Ludlow has officially joined three other nearby cities – Covington, Newport and Dayton – in an educational initiative called the Read Ready Initiative.
The Ludlow City Council voted to join the initiative at its meeting on Thursday evening.
“Ludlow’s commitment to its youngest residents shows exactly what it takes to make lasting change,” said Jenny Watson, vice president of early learning and family power at EducateNKY, a consulting group that helping to expand the program. “Ludlow is not just investing in early learning, it’s investing in the future of the entire community.”
The program is designed to increase resources to help kids up to age 5 prepare for kindergarten. It started in Covington as a literacy initiative that aimed to measure student literacy progress outside of the classroom.
Read Ready first became a citywide priority in Covington, where schools, city leaders, and community partners helped boost kindergarten readiness in recent years. Inspired by Covington’s example, the city of Newport is launching its own version with support from EducateNKY, a regional nonprofit focused on improving educational outcomes from prenatal through high school.