State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Kentucky

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Kentucky could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $27,468 (150 percent of poverty, 53 percent of state median income).¹

•    Waiting list: Kentucky had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $132 per month, or 9 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $242 per month, or 11 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Kentucky’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.
o    Kentucky’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in the Central Region was $68, or 13 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Kentucky’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in the Central Region was $66, or 11 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Kentucky paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in the Central Region at the highest quality tier was 13 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.²
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in the Central Region at the highest quality tier was still below the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Kentucky allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 4 weeks while searching for a job.  However, Kentucky did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.

¹In 2010, families already receiving assistance could continue doing so until their income reached $30,216.
²The state has four star levels. The amount of the bonus at each star level—for four-year-olds, $7 to $11 per month for two-star providers, $11 to $15 per month for three-star providers, and $14 to $18 per month for four-star providers—depends on the percentage of children served by the provider who are receiving child care assistance. For all levels, a licensed or certified provider may receive, to the extent funds are available, $2 per day beyond the maximum rate if the provider is accredited. The highest rate used in these calculations assumes that the provider receives the maximum allowable bonus at the four-star level and is accredited.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.