Access to affordable, high-quality child care is essential to the well-being of Kansas families, the strength of our workforce, and the long-term economic prosperity of our state.
Reliable child care allows parents to work, pursue education, and provide stability at home. For employers, it means a dependable workforce and stronger productivity. And for children, high-quality early care and education builds the foundation for healthy development and lifelong learning. When families can find and afford the care they need, the benefits ripple across local businesses, communities, and the entire state.
A cornerstone of this system is Kansas’ Child Care Assistance Program, which helps families offset the cost of care through subsidies. When administered effectively, these subsidies enable parents to join or remain in the workforce, pursue education or training, and provide stability for their children — while also giving providers the predictable revenue needed to sustain their programs and deliver high-quality care.
Yet, in Kansas, only 7.4% of potentially eligible children are currently served by the program. To better understand the barriers and identify solutions to increase participation, the Health Fund supported a research initiative that took an honest, data-driven look at how the program is functioning today and where improvements are most needed.
This report, released publicly in January 2026, provides recommendations on what actions could improve access for families and increase participation by child care providers. View the full report or the research brief below.
Download full report
Download research brief
