As the nation marks Teacher Appreciation Week and Child Care Provider Appreciation Day, a new report is putting Kentucky’s early childhood sector in the spotlight and on the path to long-overdue solutions.
The Kentucky Collaborative on Child Care this week released A Foundation for Action: Shared Solutions to Child Care Challenges in Kentucky.
Mike Hammons of Northern Kentucky-based nonprofit Learning Grove served on the collaborative and helped shape the report. Learning Grove has been a longstanding advocate for the children, families, and educators who make up the foundation of Kentucky’s workforce and future.
“This report couldn’t come at a more fitting time,” said Learning Grove CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor. “As we honor teachers and child care providers this week, we must also honor their reality: they are holding up the economy with limited support, thin margins, and immense pressure. This report offers real, bipartisan solutions. These are not just ideas, but actionable steps to support these professionals, stabilize the sector, and give families more choices and opportunities.”
The report outlines 37 shared recommendations, ranging from workforce stabilization and regulatory reform to stronger child care subsidies and new tools for measuring supply and demand. Notably, the report highlights several issues with direct implications for Northern Kentucky:
• The region faces a critical shortage of licensed providers, part of a statewide trend where numbers have dropped from 3,700 in 2012 to just over 2,000 in 2024.
• Workforce participation lags behind neighboring states, with Kentucky ranking 44th in the nation — a challenge directly linked to lack of child care access.
• The Kentucky All STARS rating system needs to be modernized to better reflect what quality looks like across diverse provider settings in communities like Northern Kentucky.
The report reflects a year-long process facilitated by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Convergence, and the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation. It is rooted in the belief that child care is not just a family issue, but an economic, workforce, and educational priority.
“Child care in Kentucky has been a stuck issue for too long,” said Starkey-Taylor. “This report is the breakthrough we’ve needed, and is a consensus-driven plan that unites businesses, nonprofits, and policy voices around what’s possible. At Learning Grove, we’re ready to support the work that will turn these recommendations into reality.”
To learn more about the Kentucky Collaborative on Child Care and read the full report, visit
www.kentuckychamber.com.
Learning Grove