SUCCESS! HB 2356, which will improve the safety and quality of child care in Kansas, passed the Legislature. Bill Explainer
As our state continues to weather a tough economy, it’s critical that we keep Kansans in the workforce and earning a paycheck. But, one of the biggest hurdles for working families is finding child care they can trust.
Kansas ranks 47th in the nation
on child care oversight
When it comes to finding reliable and safe child care, families in most other states rely on a child care system that has adequate checks and balances. But, that’s not the case for many Kansas families. In fact, our state ranks 47th in the nation when it comes to child care oversight. This lack of oversight has contributed to a growing number of deaths in Kansas child care facilities, deaths that could be avoided if Kansas was up to par with the level of oversight provided by other states.
One in three Kansas child care providers are never inspected
Right now, 1 in 3 Kansas child care facilities are never inspected. Although the state inspects every restaurant and every beauty salon, child care providers that fall into the “registered” category are never inspected until it’s too late – when either a complaint has been filed or a child has died in their care.
We need to inspect the rest
One step toward improving the quality and oversight of child care in Kansas is to implement across-the-board inspections of child care facilities. We already have a system in place for inspecting child care facilities in Kansas. By inspecting “registered” child care providers – just like we inspect “licensed” child care providers - we can ensure the safety of thousands more Kansas children and give their families peace of mind that their children are being cared for in a safe environment during the work day.
Current Status
HB 2356 (which was previously SB 447) passed both the House and Senate and now awaits Governor Parkinson's signature.
Resources
Click here to see the draft conference committee report brief on Lexie's Law.
Inspect the Rest Web site
