St. Gabriel Preschool in Fern Creek is one of 26 early-learning centers in Louisville selected to participate in a pilot program meant to strengthen early childhood education.
Thrive by 5 Louisville, a non-profit created through a private-public partnership, announced the Quality+ Pilot at a Dec. 3 press conference in St. Gabriel’s gym.
Stakeholders, including Mayor Craig Greenberg and Thrive by 5 board chair Ashley Novak Butler, described early learning as crucial for families.
About 59% of children in Jefferson County are not prepared for kindergarten when they begin elementary school, said Butler, executive director of Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation. And a lack of access to affordable preschool keeps parents out of the workforce.
She said the Quality+ Pilot is a “practical workforce solution” that was guided by the mayor’s vision for expanding access to preschool in Jefferson County. Thrive by 5 grew out of Greenberg’s Early Learning Action Group, formed in 2023. It is funded by a blend of public funds and philanthropic organizations, according to Thrive by 5.
“I’m excited to bring more diversity into our childcare and to welcome-in the surrounding community. We strive to be as inclusive as we can. It’s for the children. I want to see them thrive; preschool is ground zero.”
Kat Abdin, director of St. Gabriel Preschool
To improve early learning, Butler said, Thrive by 5 has identified three “core strategies” for the pilot program, which runs from 2025 to 2027:
- Workforce — “We must help recruit, train and retain early childhood educators,” said Butler.
- Facilities — “We must improve and expand safe, high quality early-learning environments,” she said.
- Family access — “We must help families find and afford care through navigation and scholarship support,” she said.
Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO of Catholic Charities of Louisville and Thrive by 5’s board secretary, said Thrive by 5 will award grants and help families and learning centers navigate access to other sources of assistance.
Staff of St. Gabriel, which recently expanded its preschool, is particularly excited by the pilot’s emphasis on accessibility and teacher training. It currently has about 140 students and can accommodate an additional 30.
Amanda Wolz, who oversees the preschool as director of operations for the parish, said good preschool teachers are crucial to a child’s education.
“Childcare workers are paid the equivalent of Chick-fil-A (staff), but they’re the first face a child typically sees when they start their educational journey,” said Wolz.
Not only are they instructors, she said, “They’re second moms and dads. And they don’t have the resources they need to stay in that field. Childcare has one of the highest attrition rates.”
Thrive by 5 aims to change that by helping childcare workers continue their education, she said.
St. Gabriel’s preschool director, Kat Abdin, said she hopes the pilot program will help make the preschool accessible to more children who need it, particularly those in the Fern Creek area, where the parish is located.
“I’m excited to bring more diversity into our childcare and to welcome-in the surrounding community,” said Abdin. “We strive to be as inclusive as we can. It’s for the children. I want to see them thrive; preschool is ground zero.”
