WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — Clark County Preschool is just a few months away from opening its doors. Construction began in February 2023.
"It's just a dream come true and it's an amazing accomplishment for early childhood education and for Clark County," said principal Jillian Blanton.
Blanton told LEX18 that the current students enrolled are low-income or have disabilities. She said some students may need speech services, help with cognitive or social skills, or motor skills.
Parent Lakin Clements' four-year-old son Noah attends the school; he has autism. When he started at Clark County he was nonverbal, now he is talking and laughing.
"I had looked at previous programs and they were very expensive, after reading some of their criteria I didn't feel like meet our need where we were at," said Clements.
Childcare for preschool aged kids can run up to $2,100 a month in Kentucky. At Clark County preschool, it's free.
Chief operating office Brandon Watkins said they'll easily fill their 450 spots. There will be 23 classrooms plus 6 resource rooms, two playgrounds, and a large multi-purpose space.
"The colors and the designs were all done by the architects to represent different areas of Kentucky as a learning tool for the kids," said Watkins.
One section of the school doubles as a storm shelter; it's surrounded by concrete and the rooms have doors on the their windows.
The price tag for the building was around $20 million. It is set to open in February 2025.
