MORGANTOWN, KY (September 2025) — Butler County Schools, in partnership with the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), recently hosted a Play with Purpose Facilitator Training at the district’s Early Childhood Center. This professional learning experience equipped local educators and community partners with strategies to use purposeful play as a tool for building early learning skills, fostering family engagement, and strengthening the home–school connection.

Through hands-on activities and collaborative planning, participants explored how play can be intentionally designed to promote curiosity, communication, and collaboration in young learners. The training emphasized ways to align playful learning with Butler County Schools’ Portrait of a Learner competencies, ensuring that even the youngest students begin developing the durable skills—such as problem solving, collaboration, and communication—that will serve them throughout their education and into adulthood.

Superintendent Robert Tuck praised the initiative, noting its long-term impact on both students and families. “Purposeful play does more than spark joy—it builds the foundations for lifelong learning. By investing in our educators and engaging families as partners, we are preparing our children with the skills they need to thrive in school and in life,” Tuck said.

This effort reflects Butler County Schools’ mission to foster academic excellence, character development, and career readiness while preparing students for lifelong success. By empowering families as their child’s first and forever teachers, the district continues to expand opportunities for vibrant early learning that will strengthen both students and the community.

About Butler County Schools

Butler County Schools serves approximately 2,195 students across six schools in Morgantown, Kentucky. Guided by its mission to foster academic excellence, character development, and career readiness, the district is committed to preparing all students—regardless of background—with the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Learn more at butlerschools.net

About NCFL

The National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating poverty through education solutions for families. For more than 30 years, NCFL has worked to strengthen literacy, learning, and connections between families and schools nationwide. Learn more at [NCFL website link].