BY: SHERMAN SMITH
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas plans to continue to waive child care licensing fees for another year by tapping into federal pandemic relief aid.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday the state would cover the cost of licensing, background checks, fingerprinting fees and licensing renewals through 2025, or until funds are exhausted. The state has covered initial and renewal licensing fees since 2021.
“I’m committed to expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care opportunities for Kansas children and families,” Kelly said in a news release. “These funds allow for continued support for child care providers by removing financial barriers.”
A license for a child care facility costs $75, plus $1 for each child the facility has the capacity to serve. Grace Hoge, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation charges $57 for a background check and fingerprint.
The state has used discretionary funding through the federal Child Care Development Fund to cover the cost of fees. To extend the waiver of fees, the state will use funding from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief program. The funding will be administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which is responsible for child care licensing, and the Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, an organization created by the Legislature in 1999 to oversee expenditures from the tobacco settlement to improve the health of Kansas kids.
“This additional funding, and Governor Kelly’s commitment to directing it to child care licensing, will go a long way in allowing potential and current child care providers to continue the important work of creating and sustaining quality child care options for Kansas families,” said KDHE secretary Janet Stanek in a news release.
Child care providers will still have to pay fees from local governments.