KANSAS CITY, MO – December 12, 2024 – A new state of Kansas research study, commissioned by United WE and conducted by the Institute for Policy & Social Research and the Kansas Population Center at the University of Kansas, reveals half of Kansas counties have more children under age five than licensed childcare slots available, indicating the demand for licensed childcare is greater than the current supply. Many counties cannot meet community needs for licensed childcare and when licensed care is available, the cost is often prohibitive.
While licensing requirements are intended to promote safety, without additional supports for providers and families they can also increase the costs associated with childcare. Childcare regulations that require high staff to child ratios, smaller group sizes, and higher levels of education and training may price parents out of the market or decrease childcare worker wages, making it even more challenging for providers to find and retain staff.
“When childcare is non-existent, unaffordable, or unsafe, parents are unable to work, which stifles economic development and is detrimental to Kansas families. By identifying barriers in the licensing process, we’re advocating for strategies that support childcare providers and address childcare gaps to ensure all Kansans have access to high-quality, affordable childcare,” says Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of United WE, a nonpartisan organization with a mission to advance all women’s economic and civic leadership.
The research report provides recommendations intended to balance the economic realities facing families and the childcare workforce with foundational health and safety practices that support child growth and development.
Fund innovative grants in the state to improve efficiency while maintaining quality of care.
Develop a statewide helpline for providers to stay connected with state regulators and improve accountability within communities.
Allocate permanent funding for childcare licensing fees and workforce supports.
Provide specific financial support to increase infant care slots in licensed childcare to reduce bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the market.
Conduct rigorous data and evaluations of childcare licensing to guide data-driven policy decisions on childcare licensing and related policies.
Convene the Child Care Systems Improvement Team (CC-SIT) in Kansas to standardize childcare licensing processes and fees across the state.
Streamline required fingerprinting processes statewide to increase access during evenings and on weekends.
“Childcare businesses in the industry walk a tightrope between business expenses essential to protecting health and safety and keeping costs feasible for parents, often only earning razor-thin profits,” said Misty Heggeness, associate scientist in the Institute for Policy and Social Research and associate professor of economics and public affairs at the University of Kansas. “The intended outcome of the recommendations is to balance the economic realities facing families and the childcare workforce with foundational health and safety practices that support child growth and development.”
The full Kansas Childcare Licensing research study is available here as part of the United WE Institute.
As part of United WE’s Women’s Entrepreneur Childcare Project, the organization also released national state-by-state childcare licensing research to provide a high-level overview of state-level licensing regulations and recommendations for policy changes. The nationwide research is available as part of the Institute here.