Report Finds Child Care Access Keeping Many Kentuckians Out of the Workforce

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the country, and a new report from the Kentucky Chamber’s Center for Policy & Research highlights child care as a major barrier.

Key Takeaways:

• Kentucky’s overall workforce participation rate is 58.4%, the eighth lowest nationally.

• Workforce participation rates in Kentucky and across the U.S. have been declining for more than 20 years.

• Up to 28,000 new workers could join the labor force if child care were more affordable and accessible, with an estimated economic impact of over $1 billion annually.

Bailie French said she managed to work when her mother could help care for her son, but after moving, child care became impossible to find.

“Day care — not only the cost, but to get in — was like a year or two waitlists. And so most people are putting their names in when they’re pregnant. So when I found out like, oh, he’s not going to get in for this time, like I’m gonna have to stay home,” French said.

The report found Kentucky’s workforce participation is 3.9 percentage points below the national average, with child care playing a major role — especially for mothers.

French added that the high cost of living leaves parents with hard choices. “I think everything’s very expensive right now, like groceries, gas, everything. With child care, I think that’s why less and less people are having kids, too. I mean, you have to either give up your career or never see your kid,” she said.

While affordable child care isn’t a cure-all, the Kentucky Chamber’s Center for Policy & Research said it remains a key barrier to improving workforce participation.

Lawmakers have taken some steps to address the issue. In 2022, they created House Bill 499, establishing the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership (ECCAP) Program to help employers support workers with child care costs. The state also increased funding to strengthen subsidies for low-income families and the child care workforce.

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