Every parent wants a stable child care option to keep their kids safe and help them learn and grow. 

Taliyah’s Story

My world was turned upside down this summer when the daycare that my children attended told me that they could no longer serve my two-year-old son. The director explained that my son needed more one-on-one support and that the center was too short staffed to be able to provide the care he needed. 

I spent hours contacting different child care centers, but they were either unable to serve children with special needs or had a year-long wait list. 

The sudden loss of child care felt like a significant roadblock to my dreams. Despite my best efforts to try to continue working full-time, I had to step away from my job due to a lack of child care. As a single mom, this loss of employment significantly impacted my family’s income and well-being. I had to delay my plans to go back to school to pursue my degree. 

Most importantly, losing child care was really difficult for my youngest son who missed being around other kids his age and learning in a classroom setting. 

When I heard about KYA’s work to increase child care access to children with special needs and their survey results about the frequency of children with special needs being expelled from child care services, it really resonated with me and what my family experienced. 

With the help of our local Head Start program, my son ultimately received an autism diagnosis, which helped clarify his needs and opened more service options. Through prayer and perseverance, I eventually found a half-day preschool that accepted him. 

Things are getting better but without full-time child care, I haven’t been able to return to full time work. I’m grateful to be in a better position now, but I wouldn’t want any other family to have to go through what we did.

I genuinely believe that Kentucky can help communities grow stronger in their support for families and children with special needs by equipping child care facilities with the training needed to care for all children. I relate to so many others who face this challenge, and I remain hopeful for a future filled with more opportunities for families in Kentucky like mine.

Taliyah Hamilton is a member of the Housing Policy Ambassador cohort from Paducah.

Advocacy Opportunity

Data from Kentucky Youth Advocates’ survey of child care programs in September 2024 showed that 72% of the child care program directors that responded felt they could serve more children with special needs if their staff members had more training on how to support these children.  

All licensed child care providers in Kentucky must complete 15-hours of clock hour training each year, and the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2025 policy priority would like to see at least three of those annual hours of training focus on supporting children with special needs. Kentucky can also make sure that pediatric diagnosticians and therapists, such as speech pathologists and occupational therapists, have access to offer therapy to children inside of child care programs, if the parents or guardians have given consent.  

Families need to trust that staff are trained and prepared to keep their children safe and healthy. This measure ensures that children get the necessary therapy they need for a chronic condition, but it also allows child care providers to learn from the therapists so that they can support these children in the classroom learning environment.