Legislation aimed at strengthening Kentucky’s child care system to better support working families, employers, and communities across the Commonwealth advanced this week in Frankfort.
House Bill 6 and House Joint Resolution 50, sponsored by House Families and Children Chair Samara Heavrin, aim to expand access to child care and support workforce participation across Kentucky as families face median annual child care costs exceeding $12,000 in many counties.
The legislation reflects more than 18 months of work through the Kentucky Collaborative on Child Care, a partnership between the Kentucky Chamber, the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation, and the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. This stakeholder effort focused on identifying practical solutions to strengthen the state’s child care system. Learn more about the full legislative proposal here.
During the testimony, Heavrin said strengthening Kentucky’s child care system will require addressing several challenges.
To help boost the child care workforce, the legislation would make Kentucky’s free child care for child care workers program permanent. Through the state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), educators working at least 20 hours per week in licensed programs can receive child care for their own children — a benefit designed to help recruit and retain workers in a field facing persistent staffing shortages.
The bill includes changes to the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership, which allows employers to help cover employees’ child care costs while receiving a state match. Heavrin said the legislation would streamline the program by shifting administration to a third-party partner, making it easier for businesses and families to participate.
Expanding child care options requires addressing barriers that make it difficult to open new programs. Charles Aull of the Kentucky Chamber noted providers often face challenges when establishing new child care facilities, including zoning and land-use restrictions at the local level. The legislation builds on the Certified Child Care Communities framework established in 2024, which encourages communities to align local policies with best practices that support child care access and reduce barriers to opening and operating child care programs. House Joint Resolution 50 will require a comprehensive review of all child care regulations to identify areas for improvement.
The legislation also addresses issues related to child care data, financial transparency, children with special needs, the Kentucky All STARS program, faith-based child care, and child care for military families.
Senate Families and Children Committee Chair Danny Carroll said addressing child care challenges is essential for Kentucky’s workforce and economy, adding that the issue touches nearly every sector of the state.
On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 8–2 to advance House Bill 6 from committee and supported House Joint Resolution 50 unanimously, sending the measure to the full Senate.
Child care legislation sponsored by Senator Carroll passed the House Families and Children Committee on Thursday.
Sponsored by Senate Families and Children Chair Danny Carroll, Senate Bill 160 would provide greater regulatory flexibility for child care providers while offering additional support for new centers during their first months of operation. Carroll said the goal is to create a more collaborative regulatory environment that helps providers succeed while maintaining strong protections for children and encourages more entrepreneurs to open child care centers by providing guidance as they navigate the regulatory process.
A new, three-year pilot program proposed in Senate Bill 191 would test new approaches to improving kindergarten readiness. Administered by the University of Kentucky College of Education, the program would provide a $2,000 incentive payment or refundable tax credit to child care providers or parents when a child is assessed as kindergarten-ready upon entering school. Carroll said the goal of the pilot is to evaluate whether outcome-based incentives can improve early learning and better prepare children for long-term educational success.
The committee approved Senate Bill 160 with a 14–0 vote and Senate Bill 191 with an 11–0 vote, with three members passing. Both measures now move to the House floor for consideration.
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