Expanded access to quality child care, and making child care more affordable, is one step closer to reality for working parents after the Kentucky House passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield.
The measure, HB 499, establishes the Employee Child-Care Assistance Partnership, encouraging non-profit and for-profit employers to offer child care assistance as a benefit by matching employer contributions with state dollars.
“As we tackle Kentucky’s work force shortage this session, it’s crucial we address a large portion of our workforce that is struggling: Kentucky parents.” Heavrin said. “These are people who are willing to work and who want to be able to provide for their families but are unable to because of the rising cost of quality care for their children.”
Kentucky currently lags in the nation in workforce participation rates at just 56.8 percent. Employers throughout the state continue to struggle to attract and retain workers, with almost 50 percent of small businesses reporting they were unable to fill open positions.
With average child care costs in Kentucky ranging from $6,300 to $11,300 per year for infant care alone, the cost of high-quality child care has created an obstacle for many parents entering in and remaining in the workforce.
“Right now, it’s important that we aid both our struggling parents and our struggling businesses; this bill does both,” Heavrin said. “By helping our Kentucky parents provide quality child care for their children, we’re also helping our Kentucky businesses strengthen their workforce.”
HB 499 creates the framework for a voluntary public-private partnership program between employers, employees, and qualified child care providers. Under the program, each partnership can submit a contractual agreement to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and if approved, the state will match the employer contribution up to 100 percent of the cost of care.
Several industry leaders and community advocates praise the measure for its potential impact on Kentucky’s families, workforce, and child care providers throughout the commonwealth.
“Metro United Way and United Way of Kentucky thank Rep. Heavrin for her dedicated leadership of HB 499, establishing the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership,” said Mandy Simpson, Chief Policy Officer for Metro United Way. “We view this public-private partnership as a vital strategy to address a profound challenge facing everyone from our smallest children to our small business owners — a lack of access to affordable, quality child care. We urge Senate members to act quickly to support this impactful measure that will help families with care and career; contribute to a thriving workforce; and help to stabilize child care providers during a time of crisis.”
The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce also weighed in on the issue, citing it as a priority issue for members.
“We know from the data and from talking to employers across the Commonwealth that affordable, quality child care is a major barrier to work for thousands of Kentucky families,” said Kate Shanks, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “House Bill 499 creates an innovative public-private partnership to encourage more employers, especially small businesses, to assist workers with the costs of quality care for their children. With one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the nation, legislation like House Bill 499 is absolutely critical for addressing Kentucky’s long-term workforce challenges. The business community commends Rep. Heavrin for her work on this bill and strongly urges passage by the Senate.”
HB 499 moves to the Senate for consideration. For more information on the measure, visit legislature.ky.gov or follow the link here.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
