Governor Laura Kelly joined a group of nine other governors to urge Congress to raise Federal investment into childcare for the 2024 budget. They are asking congressional leaders to increase resources for childcare centers. According to a media release, a growing number of Kansans don’t work because they cannot find affordable child care. The average cost for toddler child care in Kansas costs the median two-parent household 18% of their income and the median one-parent household 26% of their income.
Nationally, there are 90,000 fewer people in the childcare industry, a 10% decrease from February of 2020. Sixty percent of rural Americans live in areas known as childcare deserts, that have insufficient numbers of licensed childcare workers. Kelly says states can’t fix it alone and she is calling on Congress to make investments to support families and grow the workforce.
