APRIL 2021 \\ VOICES FROM KENTUCKY HIGH SCHOOLS

Glimmers of a return to normal school operations after a year of remote learning are bringing relief across the state. A wave of vaccines offer an end of difficult days. For high school seniors, however, the welcome landscape of progress in the battle with the coronavirus pandemic does not diminish their new mindset of bracing for change and adaptation.

Over the past year, the Class of 2021 experienced stinging sacrifices, potentially life-changing insights and a range of hardships and new options they describe as certain to shape their entry into the adult world.

As spring arrived, five-day-a-week learning returned at places like Russellville High School. Senior Chaun Cheaney will complete his online school work completely from home. Track team practice and events offer a final reconnection with school norms. Navigating the future, he said, will continue to be a challenge.

“I feel that education will become more and more digital as time passes, and remote learning has taught students how to navigate online classes for future academic situations. On the other hand, from my perspective, it is harder to learn online than in person, so I had a hard time obtaining and retaining information this school year,” Cheaney explained. “I plan to go to college after high school, and I feel like I could have learned a lot more if we were in person. If college goes back to normal in the fall, I believe I’ll have to catch up.”

Ben Bruni, the Russellville High principal, said that this year’s high school seniors endured a jolting transition to an unpredictable world.

“We are going to see a very unique student come out of all this — adept and malleable when it comes to handling adversity; adaptable to systems,” he said. This year’s seniors have also experienced social struggles with isolation and facing a major life transition without many of the usual supports.

“They know that in life, we have to face realities of hard truths,” Bruni said.

Russellville High was one of 15 high schools across Kentucky identified last year in research by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky for producing student outcomes that exceeded expectations based on the school’s demographics. In math, reading, and composite scores, Russellville High, a school of 300, stood out for scores on the ACT college-entrance exam.

RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CHAUN CHEANEY is back working with the track team after last season was cancelled. He looks forward to an in-person college experience after a year of remote learning and a largely online college search.

Principals at other Kentucky high schools identified as “public school bright spots” agreed that the pandemic has constrained resources at a critical time for many students and families.

Sandy Holbrook, the principal at Elliott County High School — noted for its in-state college-going rate in the UK research — said that the lack of in-person meetings and college visits and reduced social interactions have been a big challenge for seniors.

“We have used social media, automated calling, virtual platforms with Google Classroom and Google Meets to prepare our students for future endeavors,” she said. Those efforts had to replace in-person meetings to discuss future college plans, the application process and scholarships at the 300-student school.

For seniors like those in Elliott County who have applied and been accepted to colleges and universities and already notified about athletic and academic scholarships, it was not just high school supports that changed. At many colleges, access to admissions offices and information was hard to find and answering questions took persistence and navigation skills.

Atherton High School in Louisville — recognized in the UK report for its ACT results — usually connects its students with college recruiters visiting the city. This school year, face-to-face visits were replaced by video conferences. For many students, those sessions came after a day of online classes for school, said Thomas Aberli, principal of the 1,400-student school.

DECLINES IN COLLEGE ENROLLMENT RAISE CONCERNS

Statewide, concerns have mounted about the toll of the pandemic on students’ plans beyond high school. In February, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education reported a significant drop in college enrollment, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. The trend calls for attention from leaders in the postsecondary and K-12 system to avoid declines in economic and education outcomes, CPE said.

Fall undergraduate enrollment at four-year public universities slipped 2 percent between 2019 and 2020, reflecting a 7.3 percent decline from 2015. The one-year drop in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System was over 10 percent. Prior to the pandemic, the in-state college-going rate among new high school graduates had fallen from 54 percent in 2015 to 50.5 percent in 2019.

“Our progress as a state depends greatly on our success and recovery at the campus level,” said CPE President Aaron Thompson in response to a resolution calling for action that the council adopted at its February meeting.

We are going to see a very unique student come out of all this — adept and malleable when it comes to handling adversity; adaptable to systems.

— Russellville High Principal Ben Bruni

The pandemic disrupted college enrollments in almost every state. Total fall 2020 undergraduate enrollment, including all sectors, dropped 4.4 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Kentucky officials said it was too early to know the state’s trend in college admissions applications for fall 2021.

School leaders have worked to pull together assistance for students.

Aberli, the Atherton principal, said that proactive, creative counselors offered help on student-aid forms and admissions issues, but the pandemic shook up the school year in many ways, with seniors experiencing the biggest upheaval. He said more students took on jobs, with work time taking up a larger percentage of students’ days that usual. More juniors planned for early graduation. Many more Class of 2021 seniors sought to use the option for a December graduation.

Aberli said that while the number of seniors struggling academically has increased, about 90 percent are on track to continue the postsecondary path they had envisioned before the pandemic. “But they are experiencing it in a different way,” he said.

“I had to become more self-reliant on projects and have gotten better at conducting more research as well,” said Ajsia Redden, an Atherton senior interested in a career in graphic design. Extra time to consider future options during the pandemic pushed her to explore a wider range of schools, leading her to choose a college in Indiana. “There was a sudden urge to branch out,” she said.

Remote learning has created challenges when it comes to managing mental health, she said.

“Covid regulations heavily restricted the socialization I had with not only my friends but my family as well,” Redden said. “It saddens me to know that I will never have the proper senior experience other people wish they could go back to.”

Redden moved frequently in her elementary and middle school years. The landmarks capping four years of high school were something she had highly anticipated. “I am proud to say that for the first time ever I had spent four years within the same school and had made so many great memories here,” Redden said.

I had to become more self-reliant on projects and have gotten better at conducting more research.

— Atherton High senior Ajsia Redden

George Sackie, another Atherton senior, said that remote learning led him to evaluate what he wants to get out of his education experience.

“It’s actually increased my desire to be in a classroom,” said Sackie, an aspiring computer science major. “I think the social climate created by a school setting helps to foster growth as an individual. With college on the horizon, face-to-face encounters seem even more important.”

Sackie said that he spent extra time puzzling over college options and applied to more places than he had imagined. He is still awaiting options and a final decision.

Sackie sees some positive outcomes from the trying circumstances. “I think the pandemic has improved my chances of success in future endeavors. It has taught me to be versatile and adapt to unfamiliar realities. The ability to network, especially in a virtual setting, is a skill I would’ve otherwise not gained had it not been for the pandemic.”

Restrictions in 2020 dashed his senior wrestling season, which Sackie expected to be his most successful. This year, wrestling resumed while the virus was still spreading. Sackie decided conditions were not safe enough to return and sat out. Service projects and volunteering that he had expected for his senior year were also impossible.

In class, he continued Atherton’s Advanced Placement Computer Science course online. That work, Sackie said, “has truly confirmed my love for the field.”

AS LIMITATIONS EASE, NEW FRONTIERS AWAIT

Russellville Principal Bruni said that students, teachers, and families have responded positively to school leaders’ efforts to promote positive momentum and create opportunities despite formidable limits.

Bruni said that the past year has required educators to develop new sensitivities to students’ and parents’ needs for help and communication. Technology — and students’ ability to utilize it — has been a major force in making sure that plans and programs moved forward amid restrictions.

“Students are incredibly flexible,” Bruni said. “This generation’s ability with social media and technology makes them so knowledgeable and ahead of the curve.”

Karlee Elrod, a senior at Russellville, said she sees online learning in a new light.

“This past year of remote learning has altered the way I defined a classroom,” she said. “Before the pandemic, I wouldn’t have ever considered taking more online classes after the dual enrollment one I completed during high school. However, after mostly adjusting to online learning, I can see it being a valid option for some courses.”

RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR KARLEE ELROD said that while learning remotely was a challenge, it also built new strengths as a student that will help in college.

The pandemic cost Elrod her senior season in marching band. It dashed the school musical and dramatically cut short the 2020 Governor’s Scholars Program she was selected to attend. It complicated her college exploration, but she is optimistic about the future.

“My family and I took the pandemic very seriously, and we still wound up getting the coronavirus in December. On top of being frustrated by being stuck at home, it was difficult for us to sit down and have a conversation about the next steps in my path because of all the uncertainty surrounding us,” Elrod said.

“I did feel like it was a lot harder to learn outside of the classroom, and I struggled to reach out for help with what I didn’t know. At home, it is easy to get distracted. I would say that despite all of the things the pandemic caused me to miss out on, I am now a more adaptable person. I hope this will be a useful skill as I move forward.”

Many students said they have worked to remain upbeat.

“Staying positive is honestly the only way for me,” added Katresha Hickman, a senior at Atherton in Louisville. In addition to online school challenges, she missed out on practice and performance with the high school step team, which had been a favorite activity.

“I’ve learned to stay open minded in certain situations dealing with school and without,” said Hickman, who plans to focus on biology in college. “I mean, I’m doing all of this work in my comfort zone and it’s actually quite hard to do when you do your own thing at home. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I don’t think my mind would have opened to many options and opportunities that it’s had.”

Chaun Cheaney of Russellville said seniors recognize the pandemic and remote learning as a defining experience. The circumstances have not only shaped his learning but his plans beyond high school.

“Before the shutdown, I didn’t really have a clear direction on what I wanted to do after high school. Although the shutdown didn’t necessarily change any of my plans, it did inspire me to become a healthcare professional after seeing all the help that was needed during the peak of the pandemic,” Cheaney said. “Being at home during the shutdown, the seniors at my high school didn’t have a lot of guidance in regard to applying for colleges and scholarships, so in that sense we had to figure things out on our own.”

The experience led to a new view of learning. “Since the pandemic has negatively affected my friends mentally in different ways, I noticed that it has become difficult for all of us to find the motivation to complete school work,” he said. “A lot of us need an academic environment and socialization to stay motivated and focused.”

A member of the track team since seventh grade, Cheaney hated seeing his junior track season cancelled last spring. “I feel like I lost a lot of valuable and unforgettable experiences that I unfortunately won’t be able to get back,” he said.

This year, he opted not to play basketball after he an his family decided it wasn’t worth the risk during the pandemic.

Cheaney, like thousands of other Kentucky seniors facing decisions about options beyond high school, feels well versed in the job of navigating a new frontier. He said he knows there will be ground to make up, but he can also use a year’s worth of experience to get through adversity.

There’s no one answer to what the past year will mean, he said. “Remote learning will make it easier and harder at the same time.”

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TOP PHOTO: RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER TANYA MULLEN works with students during a dual-credit biology class in March.

MARCH 2021 \\ KENTUCKY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL VOICES

On the anniversary of the coronavirus abruptly upending in-person learning across Kentucky, leaders at some elementary schools making the strongest progress in creating student proficiency see a new landscape ahead as vaccines offer promise for a return to normalcy.

Principals said it will take significant time and concentrated interventions to help many students catch up once five-day-a-week, in-person school resumes. They foresee that pandemic-mode education will also promote new productivity from technology advances; an increased emphasis on student and family engagement; extra options for learning and connection beyond traditional school days and hours, and a deeper appreciation for the power of collaborative work.

“Schools will never look the same, now or when we return; and that’s not a bad thing,” said Jill Handley, principal of Kenwood Elementary in Louisville. Hybrid in-person learning resumed for the first time in mid-March for elementary students in the state’s largest school district and is scheduled to begin the first week of April for middle and high school students.

Handley said that at her school, the year of remote learning has led to fundamental re-examination of schools’ connections with families, the importance of student engagement, teaching and learning fundamentals, support for teachers, and more. “We have much stronger relationships with families — we’ve been in their living rooms and they’ve been in teachers’ kitchens — which has helped us uncover needs we never knew and go beyond superficial connections.”

Between the scramble to maintain links between schools and students that dominated the final weeks of last school year and the long planning for multiple scenarios in the current school year, Kenwood created a “family liaison teacher” position to support families and bridge the home-school connection. Continuing to navigate barriers to learning will be a long-term priority once normal routines can return and the school seeks to rebuild a stronger learning environment, Handley said.

Kenwood has a track record for producing better-than-expected results. A study released late last year by the The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky and the Prichard Committee identified 47 such schools after examining eight years of recent academic results to find schools where outcomes significantly outpaced expected levels based on demographic factors. Math results got Kenwood on the list.

At Glenn O. Swing Elementary in Covington, where three years of reading scores put it on the list, principal Sherry Lindberg said that connections with families and the community will be a greater asset after the pandemic, as will teachers’ new skills. “Our teachers have been phenomenal — and they’ve had to learn an entirely new way to teach.”

A FOURTH GRADER AT GLENN O. SWING ELEMENTARY in Covington listens during teacher Karissa Storey’s reading class.

The school had focused heavily on daily reading and writing work. (Read our 2018 Bright Spots profile.) The pandemic required a quick pivot to equipping students and families with technology that would allow learning to continue. Ensuring connections required months of work by the school, district, and city. That process also required teachers to change their approach and build new skills.

“This is the hardest work we’ve ever done,” Lindberg said.

At Hampton Elementary in Barbourville, principal Brian Frederick said that the mindset of “take the positives and roll,” has been a common theme for educators since the crisis disrupted schools last year. “When it comes to continuing to teach the academic standards, being responsive and being flexible, I have to say that my teachers are going to score off the charts,” he said. Hampton Elementary was recognized by the UK report because of reading achievement.

Keeping students and families connected has been a huge challenge in rural areas like Knox County. Only two of Hampton’s 300 students are now unable to connect to the Internet from home because of their remote location, and the school has made arrangements to deliver video lessons and regularly pick up work from those families. Hampton returned to five-day-a-week instruction on March 8 after weeks on a hybrid calendar, which provided two days of in-school classes and online sessions the rest of the week.

Looking toward a return to normal routines, Frederick agreed that schools will be poised to offer new ways for students and families to be connected to learning. Improved technology will drive improvements, he said. “The mindset now is that there’s more to a regular school day than just 8 to 3,” he said. “For some, the best time might be 7 at night.”

STRATEGIZING TO FILL GAPS

Beyond offering classes for students, Hampton teachers have continually met to go over student data and participation logs. Follow-ups and home visits helped to maintain involvement and progress, and the school continued to mail grades to spark a home focus on progress. Sessions for families at the school explained ways to monitor student progress and understand how online classrooms work.

After the pandemic forced students and educators home last March, students were able to return for a part-time, hybrid classes at the school in October, but that was cut short as coronavirus cases escalated in the fall. The part-time classes resumed this spring followed by the current plan for everyday sessions.

Frederick said he hopes that summer sessions, weekend classes, and other alternatives can help students catch-up as needed. He said that the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, first passed by Congress last spring as part of the CARES Act stimulus program then added to a follow-up December stimulus appropriation has helped schools cope on many fronts. Kentucky received $193 million in the first round and then $928 million more, with 90 percent flowing to school districts.

Everyone else is going to be in the same shape we are — there are going to be deficits and we will have to find ways to get back on track.

— Hampton Elementary Principal Brian Frederick 

At Hampton, the funds, along with local partnership with Internet providers, assured computers and online access for the 300 students at the P-6 school. “Technology really changed things,” Frederick said, adding that it should provide extra punch for interventions the school will put in place when regular routines are permanent and work can more fully turn to addressing areas where students are behind. “Everyone else is going to be in the same shape we are — there are going to be deficits and we will have to find ways to get back on track.”

Frederick hopes that catch-up can largely be accomplished in one academic year. He said that interventions tailored to students’ needs helped Hampton succeed in the years before the virus and will be a priority moving forward. “For those willing to work with us, we can fill in most of the gaps,” he said.

MEETING SPECIALIZED NEEDS

In Covington, Lindberg said that while the district has made connections that allowed learning to continue, it has been difficult to deliver the supports and attention designed to help students overcome extra barriers. As Glenn O. Swing returns to in-person learning and close attention to individual progress for all students, it will especially focus on English language learners and special needs students.

More than 87 percent of Swing Elementary’s K-5 students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch based on family income. In the state’s most recent data, 79 of 450 students were English learners.

During remote learning, the school scheduled small group sessions for students needing or wanting extra help. Private “Google Meets” allowed teachers to provide individual help where needs were identified and connections could be made.

“We see patterns in English language learners hit hard by this,” Lindberg said, noting that translation help has been an issue for some language students. In a similar way, limited access to aides who offer accommodations or specialized help to special needs students are harder to provide outside of a regular classroom. Child care has also been a complicating issue for many families.

As on-site school resumes, Swing will push to identify individual learning needs and provide “every support imaginable to get them there,” Lindberg said. During recent hybrid sessions, a combination of student teachers, aides, and school staff have worked closely with students to answer questions and assist with class activities.

We see an opportunity to really rethink and re-imagine what school could be like to better engage kids and remove barriers to create more equal access to curriculum.

— Kenwood Elementary Principal Jill Handley

“Many of the things we had in place before — strong core reading instruction, a system of interventions, as well as social and emotional supports — will catch us up,” Lindberg said. “It’s not magically going to be fixed, but we are positive.”

Covington worked throughout 2020 to provide devices and connections for students. When the pandemic hit, nearly 60 percent of families lacked regular Internet access. The city government moved quickly to budget $2.5 million from federal pandemic aid to expand internet access across Covington and initiate partnerships to provide 1,900 free computers to families with young children.

The Covington Connect program involved the school district, local housing authority, Cincinnati Bell, and a Texas charity assuring free connections to reach 80 percent of students and families as well as the free computers. With additional hotspots, Lindberg said that all students had consistent connections by December.

“We believe Internet access is as much of an infrastructure issue as water and sewer,” said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer. “We’ve helped the schools and students, but we’ve also helped the broader community.”

EXPLORING NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE

The challenges of the past year have led many educators to explore new ways to reach students and families.

Educators at Kenwood Elementary in Louisville’s South End find themselves discussing major changes based on their pandemic experiences. The past year has involved absorbing shock of the school’s sudden closing, working to equip and reach students at the end of last school year, planning for a new remote reality, dealing with online fatigue and frustrations, and an array of adjustments.

New approaches have raised fundamental questions about supporting teachers, addressing student needs and interests, and helping families cope, she said. Now, the school — where 85 percent of the school’s 600 students come from families with incomes that qualify for free- or reduced-price meals and 45 percent of K-5 pupils are English learners — is discussing major changes beyond the pandemic.

Steady attention to an “engagement percentage” tracking how many students are actively involved in remote learning and efforts to move closer to full engagement sparked greater attention on personalizing learning in the future. Deeper relationships with families will become a priority, as will expanded use of technology.

Handley, in her 14th year as a principal, said that while educators are aware of public concerns about the consequences of students falling behind during the pandemic, moving students forward requires seeing progress as an urgent and positive challenge. “Looking at it through a deficit lens gets very daunting,” she said. In that vein, connections and efforts of recent months can be a springboard. “We recognize that we have been able to personalize more. Many kids have gone deeper in areas than they would have. We have kindergarten students who can log onto a remote classroom by themselves. Young digital natives have gained skills and resilience and relationships with us that will help when we are back together.”

“We see an opportunity to really rethink and re-imagine what school could be like to better engage kids and remove barriers to create more equal access to curriculum,” the principal said. The current toward resuming in-person learning is overlapping with budget planning for next school year. Within that frame, a committee of Kenwood teachers and leaders is discussing plans for changes that could stretch years after regular school schedules resume.

“When it comes to family and community engagement, we are all on the same page,” Handley said. “We miss our kids so much, and while we can do this virtually, it’s not the same, but we can’t dwell on that. We’ve looked for the opportunities to move forward.”

WILLIAM PINER, A MEMBER OF THE FIFTH GRADE INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM at Glenn O. Swing Elementary in Covington, works with students. A student in the same class is pictured at the top of this story. 

NOVEMBER 2020 \\ CERTIFIED FAMILY CHILD CARE

For Kelsey Lee of Morgantown, locking in quality child care was such a priority that she put her name on a top local provider’s waiting list while she was pregnant. More than five years later, she said that decision has helped her son be more than ready to thrive in kindergarten next year and in the school years ahead.

“He knows how to write his first and last name, and he can recognize every letter,” Lee said of her son, Walker. “He knows what letter everybody’s name in the family starts with — I can put down a letter and he knows who it goes with.”

Kelsey credits certified child care provider Lisa Lee (no relation to Kelsey) with instilling basic academic skills, interesting conversation, and strong social habits for the six children who buzz around the center created in Lee’s converted basement and sprawling backyard.

Kentucky officials are working to expand the ranks of providers like Lisa Lee, who opted for extra training to boost the learning experiences she can provide youngsters she cares for in her home. Across Kentucky, the need to increase access to quality child care is deep.

The state’s goal is to increase the ranks of certified family child care providers — adults who care for 10 or fewer children in a home setting — to assure child safety, build students’ school readiness, and raise the professionalism of providers to see themselves as accomplished small business owners.

State officials and early care advocates are promoting the benefits of becoming certified among small-scale child care providers currently operating outside of state regulations. They also aim to make more families and parents aware of the benefits of seeking providers certified or licensed by the state.

“Because of limited awareness of what certified family child care is, these providers are a hidden gem in a lot of communities,” said Jessica Cain, program coordinator for Expanding High Quality Family Child Care in Kentucky through the state’s Division of Child Care. “If parents knew what to look for, this could be utilized a lot more.”

LISA LEE OF MORGANTOWN operates Lee’s Family Childcare from her rural home. She has become state certified and worked to achieve top quality rankings.

Currently in Kentucky, child care is often delivered by unregulated providers — typically family members, neighbors, or friends watching a few children in their homes. Adults caring for young children whose families receive child care assistance are expected to be registered as early childhood professionals. Becoming “registered” requires basic criminal background checks and an inspection to assure safety and health conditions.

The next step for providers — moving from registered status to becoming certified or licensed — permits home-based care for larger numbers of children while also offering providers coaching in quality learning experiences, awareness of school readiness skills, and resources that can range from access to federal food programs to ways to sharpen organizational and business skills.

Increasing the skills of local, small-scale child care providers is a practical strategy for increasing the quality of early childhood learning and school readiness in Kentucky, proponents of family child care programs say. They point to providers who opted to become certified or licensed to show how the steps connect with improved results for providers and children alike.

Lisa Lee of Morgantown, who serves six children from her home at the end of quiet country road, said the state assistance for certified providers marked a big step forward for her ability and what she can help children accomplish. She first got involved in child care as a picky young mother looking for a strong preschool experience for her young son.

“I couldn’t find a daycare that suited me. I knew what I wanted for my child and couldn’t find it,” she explained. Over time, and working through the certified family child care program, she has increased her own knowledge to the point where she can track the development of the two-year-olds who start in her home as become five-year-old learners eager to keep learning at home and ready to thrive at school.

Because of limited awareness of what certified family child care is, these providers are a hidden gem in a lot of communities.

 

— Jessica Cain, program coordinator for Expanding High Quality Family Child Care in Kentucky

“We focus on how they get involved in group play — that’s how we all learn,” Lee said. “I want every child who leaves here to be someone who enjoys learning and believes there is nothing they can’t learn. I find what they are interested in and tap into that.” A typical day at her center may provide time for playing instruments, marching, painting, working with measuring cups in the sandbox, telling stories, learning new words, or trying to find answers to others’ questions.

“Kentucky has the best resources — we get so much help,” Lee added, pointing to collaboration with state early childhood program staff as a major force in building the reputation of her center, Lee’s Family Childcare.

In the quiet backyard of a closely packed Northern Kentucky subdivision, Francie Allison leads a group of up to 10 children. Days at her home-based center move from learning in a basement classroom to time for snacks and naps to activity in the family’s backyard where plastic cars, sidewalk chalk, and tee-ball await.

Jodie’s House Daycare is the product of 14 years of training and improvement since Allison decided to stay home to care for her own child and watch another child or two.

“It took me a while to get established and be certified,” she said. Her path included attending community college courses, partnering with state officials to learn how the bigger system worked, and studying how to meet young children’s needs.

“I love, love, love what I do,” Allison said. “It was built within me to be a teacher.”

“In the beginning, I was able to stay home with my child and make sure she’s succeeding,” Allison added. “I decided bring others in for socialization, but I got to see them all succeed. I gave them a place that was safe and loving.”

Some people may feel like they don’t want the state checking on them, but I look at it that it makes me a better, safer provider.

 

— Francie Allison, state licensed child care provider

Allison’s center has become a place where she continues learn and grow professionally while creating a stimulating atmosphere for children. By becoming certified and eventually licensed by the state, Allison mastered areas like assessing student progress toward school readiness. She can show parents how children are learning academic and social-emotions fundamentals and explain what areas can be worked on at home.

“I like being my own boss,” Allison said. “There is a great support system out there that will help you step by step. Everything you join benefits you.”

“Some people may feel like they don’t want the state checking on them, but I look at it that it makes me a better, safer provider,” she added.

Rachel Battaglia, a young parent in Carrollton, said that finding quality child care is a big challenge. She found a certified provider for her son — now almost two years old — who knows how to work with his speech delay in addition to providing a homey, playful environment where development as a learner is a priority.

“The home environment is a huge advantage,” said Battaglia, a third-grade teacher. She is impressed by the skills that Robin Fremin, her provider, demonstrates. “I see her working with them on reading and prompting and so many developmentally appropriate activities with kids. There’s so much she does that’s educational.”

Battaglia said that parents are often unaware of how to evaluate child care options. Limited options and tight family budgets can be more pressing factors.

Parent Jennifer Malicoat of Cincinnati said that her positive experience with a skilled family child care provider led to her current work in Northern Kentucky encouraging more providers to work toward becoming certified.

CHILDREN AT JODIE’S HOUSE DAYCARE, which Francie Allison of Independence named for her daughter, play in the suburban backyard.

“We found quality care in a great community space that felt like another family,” Malicoat said of her own experience finding quality child care for her two sons.

In a field that often operates as an underground enterprise, the chance to join an organized network can be a major step forward for providers, Malicoat said. Access to curriculum, screening tools, participation in government assistance and programs can help people who might think of themselves as small-time babysitters see a bigger future as early education professionals and small business owners.

Optimizing providers’ skills helps lift options for children and families at a pivotal stage. “Those years are so crucial,” Malicoat said.

Certified family child care providers can build expertise for helping children with special needs or guiding families coping with individual challenges, added Cain of the state child care agency.

As Kelsey Lee of Morgantown reflects on how a certified family child care provider boosted her oldest son’s progress, she shares her eagerness for her twin sons, now two years old, to have the same opportunity. They remain on Lisa Lee’s waiting list but are assured spots when older children, including their brother, start school in the fall.

“Availability is the hardest thing,” said Kelsey, who operates a convenience store that she owns with her family. “It’s great to find someone who can get them where they need to be.”

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TOP PHOTO: Francie Allison, a licensed provider and owner of Jodie’s House Daycare in Independence, talks to children in her backyard play space.

BRIGHT SPOTS EXTRA \\ MORE ABOUT CERTIFIED FAMILY CHILD CARE

The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services operates the Division of Child Care. Its Department for Community-Based Services works with individuals building home-based child care businesses.

Their materials explain the system’s three basic levels:

REGISTERED EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONAL — Typically a family member, friend or neighbor who cares for children in his or her own home or the child’s home. A registered early childhood provider may not care for more than three children unrelated to the caregiver or more than six children if they are a sibling group.

CERTIFIED FAMILY CHILD CARE — Care provided in a caregiver’s own home for no more than six unrelated and no more than four related children at any time (total of 10 children).

LICENSED CHILD CARE Type I (for centers) and Type II (for home-based providers) — A licensed Type I child care facility is a facility that regularly provides child care services for four or more children in a non-residential setting; or 13 or more children in a residential setting. A licensed Type II child care facility is the primary residence where child care is regularly provided for at least seven, but no more than 12 children, including no more than 12 children related to the licensee.

Find out more about the state’s child care system and quality measures.

Parents or the public can use the state’s Public Child Care Search to see certified or licensed providers. That system shows inspection reports, hours of operation and quality levels under the Kentucky All STARS system.