Paducah Head Start receives $300,000 health and nutrition grant

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

PADUCAH, Ky., (KBSI) — Paducah Head Start Preschool has been awarded a $300,000 federal grant to expand health and nutrition programs for children, families and employees.

Director Kristy Lewis announced the funding Monday during a Paducah Public Schools Board of Education meeting. The grant is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Make America Healthy Again initiative.

Lewis said Paducah Head Start received the largest award available in Kentucky during the current funding round. The school has not received its official award notice but hopes to begin using the money in January.

The funding could support employee training, family cooking classes and partnerships with the McCracken County Extension Office and McCracken County Health Department. The preschool also plans to provide families with ingredients and kitchen equipment they can use to prepare healthy meals and drinks at home.

Paducah Head Start currently serves breakfast, lunch and a snack to enrolled children. It also has a full-time nurse practitioner in the building through Arcare.

Lewis also announced that the preschool received a five-star rating from the Kentucky Department of Education. The rating considers family and community engagement, classroom outcomes, leadership, employee qualifications and professional development.