KENTUCKY — Nearly $4.3 million in COVID-19 relief funds made it to Kentucky childcare and early education organizations Thursday, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced.

Twenty-seven community service agencies and educational organizations received a total of $4,299,950 to provide necessary childcare and learning services during the coronavirus pandemic. The federal funding, distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Head Start, was made available by the bipartisan Coronavirus Relief and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020. McConnell helped negotiate the bill and led it to enactment in December.

“Kentucky’s childcare and early-education providers have worked courageously during the coronavirus pandemic to create safe and nurturing environments for the next generation in the Bluegrass. I’m proud they’re receiving federal resources from the big and bipartisan COVID rescue bill I championed to continue their important work,” McConnell said. “As more Kentucky parents are able to head back to work, these educational and social services are as important as ever to help our Commonwealth’s economy come roaring back.”

Last year, Kentucky organizations participating in the Head Start program received a total of $13,282,259 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Senator McConnell introduced the CARES Act, which became the largest economic rescue package in history, and it earned unanimous Senate passage in about a week.

“The coronavirus pandemic has posed serious challenges for parents and students in their education. We are grateful for Senator McConnell’s continued leadership in delivering the necessary federal resources to support Kentucky’s Head Start programs that are vital to families across the Commonwealth,” said Prichard Committee President and CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey. “This investment can continue to help prepare children to excel in the classroom and throughout their lives.”

“During the first five years, a child’s brain is at its most flexible, making this a critical period for learning and growth. Serving both children and their parents, Head Start and Early Head Start have been proven to support what all young children need to thrive: good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences. As Kentucky and other states around the country re-open and re-build, it is more important than ever that these vital programs sustain and expand their valuable services,” said Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates.