Preschool teachers are just that, teachers. Vaccinating our educators is a crucial step to safely reopening our economy. K-12 schools and daycare centers are not only sources of employment for the many teachers and staff at each institution, but they serve the additional function of freeing up parents to work as well. Safely opened schools, regardless of the age of the children, provide twice the economic impact of other businesses. Kentucky and other states acknowledge both the exemplary service of our educators and their additional impact to the regrowth of our economy by including them in the Phase 1b rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
But contrary to the guidance of the CDC and against the impassioned pleas of countless organizations and centers in the state, Kentucky has arbitrarily limited the educator allotment of vaccines to K-12 teachers only. Ignoring the thousands of preschool teachers and daycare center operators (for whom NTI is not a possibility) who have worked passionately and ceaselessly through this pandemic to provide tutelage, enrichment, and nurturing to the literal future of the Commonwealth.
We ask you, Governor Beshear, to reconsider your position on this issue and do the right thing. Amend the eligibility for Phase 1b to include ALL child educators. Preschool teachers provide the same services and care as K-12 teachers. Their work is as essential as their fellow educators and their place in the COVID Vaccine line should reflect that.
JCPS Preschool teachers that work with Early Childhood Learning have been included in the teacher vaccine rollout. We think this further supports our position that ALL preschool teachers should be added to the educator vaccination roll.
Our intention is not to interrupt the current vaccination timeline occurring but to prioritize ALL child educators before moving on to other public entities.
Please add your name to urge Governor Beshear to include preschool teachers in the Phase 1B vaccine rollout. Teachers are teachers!
Addtional resources can be found at the Courier-Journal and EdSurge.
