Kentucky kids need safe spaces to learn and socialize while their parents work. And before they begin kindergarten, many families rely on child care – whether in homes or centers – to provide this care. Despite the clear indication that child care is needed for Kentucky families, there continue to be challenges to finding and staying connected to care, especially for children with disabilities. 

During the month of September, KYA surveyed child care center directors/owners and parents all over the state to better understand the challenges to accessing child care.  

Almost 2,000 child care programs were contacted – centers and family child care homes – and 439 of those programs responded.

Of those that answered, 86.6% were centers and 13.4% were family child care homes. Of those reporting, 48.7% were in urban areas and 51.3% were in rural areas. They shared several pieces of key information:

  • 72.4% of child care programs reported they were operating at the maximum adult-to-child ratio that the state would allow.
  • 75% of child care programs reported having to increase tuition in the past 12 months in order to continue operating.
  • 57% of child care programs reported that families have had to withdraw in the past 12 months due to the tuition increases.
  • 70% of child care programs reported having a waitlist.
  • 57% of child care programs reported that they are fully staffed.

Due to circumstances like staffing shortages and operating at maximum ratios, many programs have had to change the services they offer in order to meet the bottom line financially.  When asked, 53.5% of child care programs reported having to expel a student in the past 12 months due to behavior issues (not due to tuition). 

Child care programs already have a much higher rate of expulsion than K-12 programs – up to 3.5 times more than community schools. There are several reasons that may contribute to that number: 

  • K-12 schools receive funding from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but private child care programs do not receive special education funds.
  • Most child care providers do not have training in special education to support children with exceptional needs.
  • With significant staffing shortages in child care centers across the country, it is easier for a director or owner to replace a child with challenging behaviors with another child on the waitlist than it is to replace a teacher.

Although many child care programs have expelled students, most directors do not want to be in this position. In fact, the directors and owners that spoke out in our survey gave specific information about how they could serve more children with challenging behaviors.

  • 72% of directors said that they could serve more children with disabilities if their staff members had more training on special education.
  • Directors also stated that more funding would allow them to lower the adult-to-child ratio in their programs and serve more children with disabilities that need more individualized education.

At the same time that KYA reached out to the child care community, a parent survey was also issued – a total of 455 parents from 50 counties responded to the survey questions specifically targeted to parents.

Regardless of where families live throughout the Commonwealth, child care is essential for working families. Yet, one in four parents stated they have struggled to find child care when they needed it. They also explained how essential child care is to their families.

  • 46% of parents reported that they have missed at least 3 days of work in the past 6 months due to a lack of child care.
  • 37% of parents reported that they have had to reduce their working hours in the past 6 months due to a lack of child care.
  • 30% of parents reported that they have had to temporarily leave the workforce due to a lack of child care.

This data was similar for families living in rural areas compared to families living in urban areas. 

Ultimately, this data is showing that Kentucky families need child care, but child care programs are under a great deal of stress. In order to stay open, child care programs are operating at maximum capacity and making tough decisions regarding children who exhibit challenging behaviors. In order to make sure that all children are receiving quality child care, Kentucky can ensure that child care providers are trained on how to support children with special needs, so that both the educators and the children have the opportunity to be successful.  

Through legislative and administrative change, Kentucky should consider:

  • Requiring training for child care providers on strategies to support children with disabilities 
  • Incentivizing child care programs to serve children with disabilities through the Kentucky All-STARS system, including encouraging programs to utilize behavior intervention plans and to partner with special education diagnosticians, schools, and therapists to provide services