Kentucky
Working families in Kentucky need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Kentucky. But too many working families in Kentucky are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Kentucky economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 321K children ages 5 and under in Kentucky – 62% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in Kentucky is around $9,700.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 13% of eligible families in Kentucky. (This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.)
On average, child care providers in Kentucky earn just $27,800 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
Kentucky’s economy loses $1.2B annually due to child care challenges
Kentucky: In The Headlines
Kentucky faces workforce exodus as child care barriers hinder over 76,000 residents
WDRB | October 24, 2024
More than 76,000 Kentuckians are not working because of barriers to child care — and the majority wants to re-enter the workforce.
The need for child care services remain a high concern
WEVV | fEBRUARY 5, 2025
People in the area continue to grow concerned by the lack of child care services. Many locals, including officials, are doing what they can to fix one of the biggest obstacles in Madisonville.
Kentucky Head Start programs feeling the pinch of staffing shortages
Spectrum News One | sEPTEMBER 3, 2024
A survey from the National Head Start Association reports 65% of respondents say teacher vacancies in Head Start programs are higher than usual.
Kentucky Resources & News
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2021 State Fact Sheets: Examining the Impact and Unmet Need of Federal & State ECE Funding
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FFYF Releases State Fact Sheets, Highlighting Unique Local Landscapes
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