UPDATED: Maintaining quality child care and preserving Kentucky’s existing workforce are the goals of a proposal passed by the Senate Families and Children Committee Tuesday. Sponsored by Senator Danny Carroll, Senate Bill 203 is a multi-faceted approach to ensure child care businesses in the state continue to operate in their existing capacity and ensure workforce numbers do not decline as a result of access to child care.
Carroll pointed to an email he received the night before the testimony from a new father, noting that, despite being on multiple waiting lists with nonrefundable deposits, his family still does not have child care secured for when his wife returns to work. Carroll said this example drives home the need for change and additional funding in this area.
As an owner of a child care facility, Carroll said most centers across the state are not making money but instead would have to close their doors if it weren’t for federal and state-supported funding assistance.
“The worst thing we can do [on child care] is nothing,” Sen. Stephen Meredith said while explaining his yes vote in committee, adding he believes Senate Bill 203 is a strong approach.
The bill passed through committee with a vote of 9-1 with a committee substitute that provided points of clarification and incorporated stakeholder feedback.
In a committee meeting the week before, where the bill was on the agenda for discussion only, Senator Carroll said Kentucky had lost half of its child care providers over the last decade.
“This is a crisis we’ve ignored for years,” Carroll said.
Dr. Sarah Vanover, Policy and Research Director for Kentucky Youth Advocates, spoke to how Kentucky has used federal funding for child care responsibly compared to other states, pointing out increases in centers closing in other states when the federal money ran out.
Kentucky Chamber Center for Policy and Research Executive Director Dr. Charles Aull also testified how essential it was to continue providing quality child care to grow the economy and workforce.
Aull said the workforce crisis can be tackled with a two-part strategy of attracting more people to Kentucky and removing barriers to work. Pointing to the Chamber’s report 20 Years in the Making: Kentucky’s Workforce Crisis, Aull noted that child care is one of the root causes of the Commonwealth’s challenges, and it is critical to take action this session.
“This is very much a crisis but also very much an opportunity,” Aull said in the previous committee meeting. “If we can get this right, this is something that can give us a competitive edge. And we can send a message that we are a state that is serious about tackling workforce issues.”
After receiving its first and second readings in the Senate this week, it was recommitted to the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee for further consideration.
Stay tuned to the Bottom Line for more updates.
Childcare is definitely a need and concern. I am especially grateful that it is being addressed. I am employed as a supported employment professional, and I cannot begin to tell you the impact of the lack of childcare has on persons with a disability, mental health care needs and persons with substance use disorder when they want to enter or re-enter the work force. In most instances they are willing and wanting to go to work and the lack of adequate childcare deems most to continued poverty and limited income. It also endangers the children whose parents elect to work even though there is no adequate child care.