Laugh and Learn Playdates 

Kentucky has reported that only 57% of children attending kindergarten in McCracken County are prepared and equipped to succeed, and Paducah Independent is at 47%. In many Kentucky counties, limited resources or the environment may hinder healthy lifestyle choices related to early childhood development and physical activity.  

As an innovative strategy to improve early childhood development skills and increase kindergarten readiness with Paducah City, and McCracken County residents, the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with Paducah Public Library to implement Laugh and Learn Playdates once a month for the 2023 year.

Through this program, participants work on improving early childhood development skills and increasing kindergarten readiness. 40 adults and 54 children participated in this program. As a result of this program, 93 % of parents reported reading to their child(ren) at least three times a week, 98 % of parents or caregivers reported using simple rules and routines in their home, and 100% reported involving their child(ren) in play with other children. Regarding physical activity, 99 % of participants’ parents or caregivers encouraged their child to continue in challenging tasks. In addition to individual behavior change 76% reported giving their child new opportunities to try new foods, and 81% reported their family conducted activities learned from Laugh and Learn Playdates at home.