In Kentucky, “School readiness means that each child enters school ready to engage in and benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the child’s success”. Kentucky has broken school readiness down into five domains: physical and motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to learning; language development; and cognitive development. A child's readiness score is determined by measuring a student’s cognitive, physical and language development. 2020 Early Childhood Profiles has Ballard County’s percentage of children Not Ready for Kindergarten was 63.2% with 36.8% being ready.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for the schools as well as for the way programming was being conducted by the Extension Service. A new way of meeting the needs of the community needed to be done. In an effort to help address the issue of the pandemic, just like other agents across the state, the Ballard County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent offered Laugh and Learn Go Kits to children ages 2-5  to reinforce positive child development related to the five domains of school readiness. Parents have identified the need to have positive child development activities for ages birth through five years in past events specifically for children under the age of 5 in Ballard County. Families are given kits containing resources that focus on literacy and better nutrition through various activities. Science, math, art, music, and physical activities are included. Videos are uploaded to Four River Counties Community Early Childhood Council Facebook page with additional information that correlates with that months kit. Parents are provided with parenting literature to encourage reinforcement of the concepts at home.

With these kits, parents and caregivers have an increased chance of being actively involved with their child and building that emotional bond young children need. Since January fifty-three kits have been given to families in Ballard County.