Tom Loftus

Louisville Courier Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. -Actress Jennifer Garner used her fame Tuesday to draw attenti

on to a small part of the Kentucky state budget she says makes a big difference.

"I'm here because I believe so much in Save the Children's early childhood programs, and I am hoping that you will continue to support them," said Garner, a trustee of the international charitable organization Save the Children.

Garner was joined by Mark Shriver, president of the Save the Children Action Network, to urge Kentucky legislators at a Senate Education Committee hearing to support continued funding of an annual $941,400 state budget appropriation for Save the Children literacy programs.

Shriver said those programs partner with schools in 10 Kentucky counties to deliver education and health services to more than 12,000 children.

Half of Kentucky kindergarteners aren't ready for school

Save the Children programs have s

hown stronger results in Kentucky than in any other state in helping kids from birth through the third grade, Shriver said.

"Our kids entering kindergarten are scoring at the 90th percentile..." Shriver said. "And these are kids that are struggling, that are very much at risk."

Garner, who was raised in West Virginia, told a story of visiting a young mother with four small children living in a trailer in Berea a few years ago and how the children sprung to life when the Save the Children home coordinator arrived with books.

The mother, Garner said, "told over and over again how the program had changed the course of these kids lives."

Shriver argued the program was a good investment for the state. "We're spending over $10 million here in Kentucky - matching the million dollars that the state has invested in our work." he said. "We have over 300 staff working full and part time in Kentucky with over 200 of those staff in Eastern Kentucky."

The fate of state funding for the program does not seem at risk. While Gov. Matt Bevin's proposed budget reduces funding for most parts of education other than the main public school funding program known as SEEK by 9 percent, Senate President Robert Stivers said the Save the Children partnership is fully funded in Bevin's recommendation.

And Stivers, a Manchester Republican who held a news conference with Shriver later Tuesday, said, "I think there is a high likelihood that it would survive" through the legislature's budget process.

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Shriver and Garner had breakfast Tuesday with Bevin, who as a candidate for governor last spring questioned the effectiveness of how public funds are spent on early childhood education. But Shriver said of his talk with Bevin, "I think he was very supportive of our work."

Lawmakers who heard from Garner and Shriver Tuesday also showed nothing but support.

"I think anytime we as a state can invest $1 million and get a $10 million return is an excellent investment," said Sen. Jared Carpenter, R-Berea.

Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, observed the education committee's meetings are normally not as crowded as was the case Tuesday.

"We never get this kind of media attention..." Givens told Garner. "So continue using this platform to do what you're doing."

Garner became nationally famous in 2001 for her lead role on the television series Alias. She went on to star in many other television productions and films and has won numerous awards for her acting including a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She also has been a political donor to Democratic Party candidates and causes. She contributed $5,200 to Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes' unsuccessful 2014 race for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. Also during that campaign she gave $5,000 to the Kentucky Democratic Party.

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