Kentucky employers will soon be able to apply to participate in the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership. Yesterday afternoon, the Kentucky Chamber partnered with the Kentucky Division of Child Care on a webinar ahead of the launch of the new program to help address child care challenges for Kentucky employers and workers. Applications to participate in the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership will become available on April 2, 2023, via the Division’s website.
The new program is the result of House Bill 499, legislation passed in the 2022 legislative session that was championed by the Chamber. Representative Samara Heavrin sponsored the bill.
The Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership creates a state match for employers who choose to contribute to the cost of quality child care on behalf of an employee. For example, if an employer contributes $100 a month toward the employee’s child care cost, the state will match that contribution up to 100 percent. This allows an employer to double the size of an employee benefit and helps reduce the employee’s out-of-pocket child care costs. Participation in the program is voluntary. Rules and restrictions apply.
The cost and availability of quality child care have been identified as key factors in keeping many Kentuckians out of the workforce or causing parents to leave their jobs. The Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership can help keep more Kentucky parents in the workforce by empowering more employers to help workers with the cost of quality child care.
Both the Chamber and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services have made resources available to employers interested in participating in the program. See the links below. In addition to yesterday’s webinar, the Chamber and Cabinet partnered with the Kentucky chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management to produce a new FAQ on the program that can be accessed here.
- Division of Child Care landing page for the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership
- Kentucky Chamber resources to support employers in addressing the child care challenges of their workers
Watch the webinar from March 28, 2023 below:
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