In 2022, Kentucky legislators moved to make employees of licensed center-based or family child care programs automatically eligible for child care subsidies via the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, regardless of their household income. The policy was adopted by emergency administrative rulemaking in August 2022 and was simultaneously introduced through the ordinary rulemaking process, taking effect in October 2022. The program was initially paid for with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds but was financed for two additional years in FY24 using state general funds.
Employees of licensed center-based or family child care programs who work 20 or more hours per week are automatically eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program. After one year of the program’s operation, 3,200 caregivers employed in early education programs and 5,600 children had benefitted from the program.
Sources:
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2022, December). Providing Child Care for Child Care Providers: A Strategy for Addressing Staffing Shortages and Compensation for Early Childhood Educators.
Powell, A., & Dade, A. (2023). What the Bluegrass State Can Teach Us About Increasing Access to Child Care. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment.
Hsu, A. (2023). Kentucky had an outside-the-box idea to fix child care worker shortages. It’s working. NPR.
Loewenberg, A. (2024). In Effort to Entice Child Care Staff, More States Follow Kentucky’s Lead. Alliance for Early Success.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
The early education workforce is the foundation upon which all daily work and any expansion and quality improvement efforts rest. Research suggests that states and cities should invest in the workforce across all early education setting types, focusing on enhancing educators’ professional learning, compensation, and workplace conditions.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Early educators play a critical role in supporting the well-being of young children and families across setting types.
- Yet their pay, benefits, and other professional supports are often inadequate in light of the job demands and their cost of living.