By Karena Cash
Kentucky Youth Advocates
It is back to school season here in Kentucky. Kids all across the Commonwealth are preparing for another year of learning and reconnecting with friends. At the same time, back to school has left many working parents across Kentucky wondering the same thing: where is my kid going to go until I get off work?
Almost 1,500 organizations across Kentucky address this by providing afterschool care for school-age children. These afterschool programs provide kids with a safe environment to learn and play while their parents are at work, while also helping them develop life skills, make friends, finish homework, and engage in STEM learning and physical activities.
However, for every one Kentucky child in an afterschool program, four are left alone and unsupervised due to a limited availability of programs. This is partially due to a limited number of providers in the state and partially due to a staffing shortage within child care programs.
In the fall of 2022, more than two out of three afterschool programs across the country reported difficulties hiring and retaining staff. This staffing shortage further reduces the number of afterschool care slots available to families.
In addition to limited availability, the cost of afterschool programs prevents nearly three in five Kentucky families from participating. The average cost of an afterschool program in Kentucky is almost $500 a month.
School-aged children younger than twelve can receive financial assistance through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), but fifteen of Kentucky’s 120 countries do not have a single provider that serves CCAP recipients over the age of 5.
Finally, there are a limited number of child care slots available for families who need care during non-traditional work hours. Less than one in five of Kentucky’s licensed school-age child care providers report operating between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. or on the weekends.
Afterschool care is an essential educational and emotional support for Kentucky kids, families, and workforce. To ensure that school-aged children are taken care of after school, our partners at the Kentucky Out of School Alliance recommend:
• Incorporating the voices of school-age child care providers in the the Child Care Advisory Council and Kentucky’s Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) State Plan.
• Improving data on afterschool care in Kentucky by ensuring the state child care data system records key data points, such as the number of children a provider serves by age group.
• Sustaining the increase in wages and benefits made possible by federal pandemic-era funding by dedicating state funds to child care providers, including afterschool care programs and
• Strengthening the Kentucky ALL STARS licensing program by creating separate metrics for school-age programs, as well as providing technical assistance and training for school-age providers.