Center Report Presents Scenarios for Improving Child Care in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, KY (October 14, 1999) — At a Capitol press conference here today, the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center released a report on child care in Kentucky. The report finds that even though there are many exceptional child care providers in Kentucky, the overall quality of child care in the state comes up short when compared with the best states. According to Michael Childress, the report’s author, “this does not mean that Kentucky ranks poorly in comparison with all states. Indeed, it is typical, which simply means that child care across the country is not in good shape.”

Child Care in Kentucky: Current Status and Future Improvements presents public opinion data showing that many Kentucky parents are satisfied with the availability and affordability of high-quality child care in their communities. However, the report cautions that "expert assessments reveal that what is true nationally is probably also true here: much of the child care in Kentucky is of questionable quality." Kentucky allows more children per adult caregiver than most states, has a "mediocre" group size, requires no pre-service training for teachers and directors, and compensates child care workers at low levels. For these reasons, Kentucky’s rank in national assessments of child care is not high. Moreover, the statistical analyses of the opinion data show that the more educated Kentuckians are much less likely to be satisfied with the availability and affordability of high-quality child care.

The report also points out that pressures on child care will likely increase in the future. Many Kentucky preschoolers already are in child care. The report estimates that at any one time over 100,000 children under six years old—or about one third of the entire population under six—receive care by someone other than a parent or a relative. Moreover, the rising participation of women in the labor force is likely to increase the number of children needing child care. One of the most dramatic increases in the labor force over the past few years has been among women with children. Nationally, the percentage of women with children who work has risen from about 39 percent in 1975 to over 62 percent in 1996. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a continuing increase out to 2006.