FRANKFORT (April 22, 2015) – Educating youth about the importance and functionality of county government is a goal of the K.E.Y. program and activity guide to be released at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 29, at Goose Rock Elementary School, 364 Hwy. 1524 in Manchester.
Third- and fourth-grade students have been invited to join Clay County officials at this presentation of the Kentucky Association of Counties County Government Booklet: An activity guide for kids.”
The booklet is the first initiative under the KACo Educating Youth (K.E.Y.) program and its goal is to educate all Kentucky youth about county government and elected county officials.
Rather than just creating a “coloring book” for the students, KACo produced a book that would actually be utilized in the classroom as a learning tool. KACo included the Department of Education, recruited three Frankfort school teachers to develop an actual lesson plan, and hired a professional illustrator to create the artwork.
The award-winning illustrator, Kentucky native Mark Wayne Adams, has written Best Fairy Books Series, Teddy Tales, King for a Day, and Nicholas, That's Ridiculous!. He has also illustrated more than 32 children's books in the past six years and serves as the VP of Communications for the Florida Publishers Association. Mr. Adams will participate in the presentation at Goose Rock Elementary.
The activity booklet presents information about elected county officials and government services on the third- and fourth-grade levels through a word jumble, seek-and-find, crossword puzzle, matching game and a glossary of government words. The guide is meant to be informative and fun!
The guide also includes opportunities for inclusion of subjects such as Technology, Arts and Humanities, Practical Living and Writing. The group of teachers from Frankfort worked with the KACo team on the vocabulary and presentation in the lessons.
The goals of the K.E.Y. program are: to present the importance of county government to Kentucky students; to unite schools with their respective county government officials; and to provide schools and students with a civic educational opportunity.
“This activity booklet is the first initiative produced by KACo of its kind and we encourage teachers to reach out to county officials and invite them to actively participate in the lesson,” said KACo Executive Director/CEO Denny Nunnelley. “Also, I encourage Clay County officials to contact their local schools and volunteer their time.”
“It is our humble goal to play a small role in the education of tomorrow’s leaders,” added Nunnelley.
KACo is a non-profit membership association founded in 1974. KACo provides a variety of financial and other services to local governments and represents the needs of county governments in legislative matters.
