Although Kentucky is a relatively small state in terms of size and population, ranking in the middle as the 26th most populous state, it nevertheless has a fairly large number of children and families. About seven percent of the total population of Kentucky is children under four years old. Furthermore, about one third of all families are single-parent families, which greatly increases the need for child care services for working parents.
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There are also a fairly large number of children under the age of 6 who require child care. About 120,000 children who live in a two-parent home would require assistance because both parents are in the work force; about 78,000 live in a single-parent home, with that parent being in the work force. Although this number is just a fraction of the total number of children in the United States who potentially need child care, this is still a significantly large number, which provides ample opportunities for families seeking assistance and people looking for work with children.
For mothers, too, the need for child care assistance is great. With about 36,000 working mothers with infants and 80,000 mothers with children under the age of 6, Kentucky residents are in dire need of special services, and, fortunately enough, Kentucky provides for these parents as best as it can. With a total of 2,140 child care centers and 813 family child care homes, Kentucky child institutions can accommodate about 145,500 children.
The average annual fees for full time child care is anywhere from $5,200 to $6,750, depending on the type of institution and the age of the child. Compared with the average cost of sending a child to a public college (about $7,500 per year), child care costs are not much cheaper. For married couples, this can account for an average of 10% of their annual family income, while the cost rises to about 35% for single mothers.
However, despite these costs, families are eligible for child care payment assistance. About 17,400 families, 30,900 children, and 4,800 service providers receive help to pay for child care. Of the 10,700 service providers in the state of Kentucky, the average annual income is roughly $18,930, with over 3,800 training sessions offered to these employees statewide.
However you look at, Kentucky has set aside the necessary resources to ensure the comfortable accommodation of the families and mothers who require child care assistance.
