Northern Kentucky families are now getting free books from the moment their children are born.

St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Educate-NKY and public libraries across Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties have partnered to offer new parents the chance to sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library directly from the hospital.

Learn more from WCPO: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/finding-solutions/new-partnership-puts-free-books-in-northern-kentucky-families-hands-from-birth

The City of Southgate has officially joined the regional Read Ready initiative, unanimously adopting a resolution at its City Council meeting tonight to launch Read Ready Southgate. With this action, all six Northern Kentucky River Cities – Covington, Newport, Dayton, Ludlow, Bellevue, and now Southgate – have committed to the Read Ready initiative, achieving a major milestone for early childhood education in the region.

The Read Ready movement, supported by EducateNKY, focuses on improving kindergarten readiness by connecting families with resources and building strong community partnerships from birth through age five. The initiative has expanded city by city, creating a network of communities aligned around the goal of preparing every child for success in school and life.

“We should be so proud of NKY right now,” said Cheye Calvo, President & CEO of EducateNKY. “To have all six River Cities step forward and make early learning a civic priority shows the deep commitment our region has to its children and families. This milestone proves that when communities work together, big things are possible.”

Read more at NKY Tribune here.

Ludlow has officially joined three other nearby cities – Covington, Newport and Dayton – in an educational initiative called the Read Ready Initiative.

The Ludlow City Council voted to join the initiative at its meeting on Thursday evening.

“Ludlow’s commitment to its youngest residents shows exactly what it takes to make lasting change,” said Jenny Watson, vice president of early learning and family power at EducateNKY, a consulting group that helping to expand the program. “Ludlow is not just investing in early learning, it’s investing in the future of the entire community.”

Read more from LinkNKY here. 

The city of Newport is taking steps to help improve kindergarten readiness.

The Newport City Commission adopted a resolution for a new initiative called Read Ready Newport, aimed at making learning resources more accessible and meeting families where they are.

“We have tried many times over the years to recognize that those kiddos are my kiddos,” Newport Commissioner Ken Rechtin said. “They don’t belong to the school-it takes a village, and we all got to step up. This action tonight has real implications that we’re going to make improvements in our children. No more are we going to accept 20% being ready for kindergarten. That’s not acceptable.”

Read more from LinkNKY. 

Covington, KY — Last week, more than 100 education, civic, and nonprofit leaders from across Northern Kentucky gathered for the Start Strong Summit, hosted by EducateNKY at the Life Learning Center in Covington. The convening marked a powerful shift from understanding to action—focused on improving early learning, strengthening family engagement, and building community-wide ownership for student success across the River Cities.

The event opened with remarks from Greg Fischer, Chair of the EducateNKY Board of Directors, who reflected on the organization’s founding in 2023 and its mission to “listen, learn, and lead with purpose.” Fischer emphasized the urgent need for earlier, deeper partnerships with families: “Only one in two children in our region enters kindergarten ready—and in the River Cities, that number drops to one in three. We must meet families earlier, engage them fully, and equip them to champion their children’s learning from the start.”

Cheye Calvo, CEO of EducateNKY, outlined the strategic vision for the Start Strong initiative: a four-part framework centered on family-centered messaging, place-based coordination, comprehensive supports, and shared data and accountability. These pillars shaped the day’s conversations and shared learning.

Summit highlights included:

• A regional strategy panel featuring Shannon Starkey-Taylor (Learning Grove), Melissa Sommer (Brighton Center), and Sandra Woodall (EC LEARN), who emphasized the need for a coordinated, family-centered approach to early childhood development and care.
• A spotlight on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, presented by Chantelle Phillips (Campbell County Public Library), which showcased the program’s role in fostering literacy, connection, and early brain development by mailing high-quality books to children every month.
• A place-based leadership panel moderated by Tom Haggard, Vice President of EducateNKY, featuring Covington Mayor Ron Washington, Mary Kay Connolly (Read Ready Covington), and Chairwoman Ramona Malone (Newport Board of Education). Panelists shared how their communities are building locally rooted early learning ecosystems.
• A virtual presentation by Brooke Gill of the Prichard Committee highlighted lessons from Kentucky’s Community Schools Initiative—emphasizing the critical role of school culture and family partnership in student success.
• A Partnership in Practice panel featuring Kathy Burkhardt (Learning Grove), Marshelle Watkins-Blackwell (Newport Independent Schools), and Tracy Gentrup-Ruebusch (Dayton Independent Schools) brought voices from the field to center stage. Panelists offered powerful, practical examples of how authentic family engagement—rooted in empathy, flexibility, and trust—can transform school culture and student outcomes.

The Summit also launched the 2025–2026 Family, Youth, and Community Partnership Grant, designed to support schools in co-developing strategies with families and youth to address concrete challenges and strengthen engagement at the local level.

“This wasn’t just a summit—it was a call to shared responsibility,” said Calvo. “Improving school readiness isn’t something schools can do alone. It will take families, cities, nonprofits, and neighbors all stepping in—together.”