LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Expanding child care options for Kentuckians

Representative Nancy Tate released the following thoughts on expanding child care:

"Access to reliable child care is about much more than finding someone safe to watch your children. It is about whether parents can go to work, whether employers can find the workers they need and whether communities have the workforce necessary to grow.

That is why improving child care was an important priority for the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2026 Regular Session. Year-round, full-day child care is essential for families who depend on two incomes or for parents who are working to provide a better life for their children. When reliable care is unavailable, parents can be forced to reduce their hours, turn down opportunities, or leave the workforce altogether.

That is why we took meaningful steps this year to modernize Kentucky's child care system and expand options for families.

House Bill 6 represents one of the most comprehensive sets of early childhood reforms Kentucky has enacted in years. The legislation strengthens Kentucky All STARS, emphasizes research-aligned quality standards, improves transparency around child care data, and creates a structured process for continuing to evaluate and modernize the system.

HB 6 also recognizes that one size does not fit every Kentucky community. The legislation creates a pathway for licensed child care microcenters, giving communities another option for providing care. This can be particularly important in rural areas, for families who work nontraditional hours and for other communities where traditional child care centers may not be readily available.

We also created opportunities to expand child care access for Kentucky's military families, recognizing the unique needs of families who serve our country.

These changes are about building a child care system that works in the real world for parents who work different schedules, for employers who need reliable employees, and for communities that want to grow.

At the same time, expanding access cannot mean compromising the safety or quality of care children receive.

House Joint Resolution 50 directs a comprehensive review of Kentucky's child care statutes and regulations to identify unnecessary barriers while protecting the health and safety of children. We must continue to look at our regulations to make sure they are accomplishing what they were intended to accomplish and not creating unnecessary obstacles for providers who are trying to serve families.

It is important to note that HJR 50 preserves child-to-teacher ratios because we want to expand access and reduce unnecessary red tape without lowering the standards that protect children.

We also took steps to support the people who provide this care. HB 6 incorporates provisions from other legislation that pairs accountability with hands-on technical assistance, particularly for newly licensed providers. When providers encounter problems, we should help them understand the requirements and correct those issues rather than creating unnecessary hurdles that could force a facility to close. That matters because every child care center that closes can leave working parents scrambling to find another option.

The work we began this year is about more than child care policy. It is about Kentucky's workforce and our state's future. Parents should not have to choose between pursuing a career and providing quality care for their children. Employers should not lose good employees because those employees cannot find reliable child care. And communities should not have to turn away families or businesses because they lack the child care capacity to support them.

There is more work to do, but HB 6 and HJR 50 give Kentucky a strong foundation.

The reality is that traditional school schedules do not match the schedules of most working parents. Most jobs do not end at 3 p.m. They do not take two weeks off at Christmas, a week for spring break or a week for fall break, or close for three months during the summer. If the goal is to help parents get into the workforce, parents need child care that is available when they actually have to work - not simply when school is in session.

We will continue listening to parents, providers, employers and communities and looking for ways to expand access, support our child care workforce and remove unnecessary barriers, while keeping the safety and well-being of Kentucky's children at the center of everything we do. Because when we make it possible for parents to work, children to receive quality care and communities to grow, we are not simply improving child care.