What the American Rescue Plan means for child care in Kentucky
Thanks to your advocacy in lifting up the essential services that safe, reliable, and high-quality child care provides to all Kentuckians, over $763 million have been awarded to the Kentucky Division of Child Care from the federal American Rescue Plan passed by the U.S. Congress in early 2021. These funds will allow more Kentucky parents to join, remain in, and fully contribute to our workforce, support local economies, and provide more children with the early care and education so crucial to their physical and intellectual development. Talk about a win-win-win for Kentucky’s kids, parents, and local communities! Here are what the funds will be used for: The largest part of the funding, more than $470 million, will be used to stabilize struggling child care providers throughout Kentucky. The majority of this funding is available for eligible programs opened by the federal cutoff date of March 11, 2021. The remaining $293 from the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) will be used to:
- Increase child care provider payments
- Improve payment policies
- Increase wages for early educators and family child care homes
- Increase the number of quality child care options for underserved populations.
Other recommended projects through this funding include:
- Continuation of the Public School Preschool Partnership Program for next three school years: $30 million;
- Increase in Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) reimbursement during the length of the funding period: $194 million;
- Pilot for CCAP contracts for infant and toddler care throughout the state: $18.9 million;
- Facility repair grants for child care programs currently in operation: $20 million;
- Training academies for Kentucky credentialed trainers: $150,000;
- Kentucky apprenticeship program funding: $2 million;
- Increased contributions to the Kentucky Early Childhood Scholarship Program: $7 million;
- Additional start-up grants for family child care homes (over three years): $500,000;
- Business partnership start-up funds (over three years): $2 million;
- Matching start-up grants for child care programs in “deserts” (over three years): $4 million;
- Technology system upgrades to connect all child care data systems: $14.7 million.
Families in need of child care assistance should apply for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) through the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) by clicking here. Child care providers with additional questions should explore more details by clicking here, or by contacting the Kentucky Division of Child Care via email at [email protected].