# Kentucky receives $195.5M in federal child care aid  
**Published:** 2021-03-06T00:21:43.000Z  
**Source:** [KY Cabinet for Health & Family Services](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=CHFS&prId=314)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-receives-195-5m-in-federal-child-care-aid

LEXINGTON, Ky. — [More than 2,000 licensed child care centers and family child care homes in Kentucky will potentially benefit from federal funding totaling $195.5 million](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=CHFS&prId=314), according to the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

The funding, appropriated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, is designed to help regulated child care providers sustain operations during the pandemic's economic downturn. [The Child Care and Development Block Grant provides multiple avenues of support](https://www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=836), including sustainment payments for regulated programs, fingerprint background check costs, training and technical assistance on safe work environments, and parent copayment assistance for families receiving subsidies.

The funds arrive as Kentucky's child care sector faces significant challenges from the pandemic. At the outset of COVID-19, Kentucky had licensed 2,201 child care programs with the capacity to serve 165,314 children. However, [149 licensed facilities and 21 certified facilities have permanently shuttered, with nearly 150 temporarily closed](https://www.chfs.ky.gov/News/Documents/nrchildcareaid.pdf).

Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric C. Friedlander emphasized the urgency of the support. "Our providers have been struggling to stay open and serve Kentucky's children and families coming up on a year now," Friedlander said. The funding may prevent further closures, as national projections had suggested up to 40 percent of child care programs could close within the first six months of the pandemic, though Kentucky has fared better with fewer than 8 percent of centers lost.

The [Child Care and Development Block Grant is the primary federal program that provides child care assistance to low-income working families with children under age 13](https://kypolicy.org/child-care-funding-2024-2026-budget/). The assistance is critical for working parents and the broader economy, as child care capacity affects workforce participation across the state and region.

## Sources

- [KY Cabinet for Health & Family Services](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=CHFS&prId=314)
- [Official CHFS press release on federal funding distribution and provider impacts](https://www.chfs.ky.gov/News/Documents/nrchildcareaid.pdf)
- [Governor Beshear announcement on $763 million total child care funding package](https://www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=836)
- [Kentucky Center for Economic Policy analysis on Child Care and Development Block Grant](https://kypolicy.org/child-care-funding-2024-2026-budget/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Cabinet for Health & Family Services, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=CHFS&prId=314.