The grant builds on and expands long-standing partnerships with non-profits that support children’s early literacy and numeracy development and the transition to kindergarten. In collaboration with other organizations, grant staff have distributed resources aligned with Kentucky’s kindergarten readiness standards, including kits with books and guides for parents to use the materials effectively at home.  

Additionally, the grant facilitates kindergarten transitions through summer programming and school-year events that foster connections among early childhood educators, children’s future kindergarten teachers, preschool children, and their families. The events, scheduled throughout the year, introduce children and their caregivers to the types of activities and routines they can expect when entering kindergarten. These activities are designed to improve the schools’ kindergarten readiness scores in fall 2025.

Principals note that the grant has allowed them to offer expanded in- and out-of-school learning opportunities to engage students in learning and positively impact school culture. Schools have had the funds for in-school and afterschool tutors, including high school students and retired teachers, to help children struggling in reading and math classes. 

As part of the project, new and upgraded learning resources were obtained that enabled teachers in implementing curricula with greater fidelity now that they have the necessary tools. For example, in elementary schools, outdated and broken touch screens were replaced and kindergarten and preschool classrooms were modernized. In middle and high schools, the project contributed to the restoration of science labs lost to the flooding.

School coordinators work alongside community organizations and district staff to provide students with access to valuable career exploration and experiences, including careers that enable students to remain in the community. During meetings with the Hazard Chamber of Commerce, school coordinators have gained insights into the skills and qualities that are most important to local employers. 

In partnership with organizations such as the Army Corps of Engineers, local health providers, and Kentucky State Parks, the FSCS grant has, in its first year, created job opportunities for over a dozen high school students to enhance their career exploration. 

FSCS has supported college and career activities, including enabling students to attend a health conference, organizing tours of post-secondary institutions, and hosting career and college exploration fairs.

In the coming years, the FSCS staff in the Perry County and Hazard Independent school districts intend to expand student and family engagement, to bolster attendance, and to support students’ transitions as they progress from early education into kindergarten, from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, and then into postsecondary or career. 

All of these efforts have been impacted by a second round of flooding that hit the region in February 2025.