{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-199.891","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 199.891","heading":"Definitions for section -- Certified Child Care Community Designation","body":"Program -- Powers and duties of cabinet -- Applicant requirements -- Report\nrequired -- Provision of list of communities that have obtained designation.\n(1) As used in this section:\n(a) \"Cabinet\" means the Cabinet for Health and Family Services;\n(b) \"Child care service\" means a child care service licensed or certified by the\ncabinet; and\n(c) \"Local government\" has the same meaning as in KRS 65.230.\n(2) The cabinet shall esta blish a Certified Child Care Community Designation\nProgram. The purpose of the program shall be to create new opportunities for local\ngovernments to help increase the supply of child care services in their communities\nthrough voluntary actions related to l and use and zoning reform and programming\nat the local level. Participation in the program by local governments shall be\noptional.\n(3) To administer the program, the cabinet may:\n(a) Delegate authority to a subsidiary department;\n(b) Coordinate and share information with other executive branch agencies;\n(c) Enter into contracts with third parties to administer the program or specific\nparts of the program; and\n(d) Promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A\nto implement the program.\n(4) By January 1, 2028, the cabinet shall make publicly ava ilable a standardized\napplication for certification and instructions for the Certified Child Care\nCommunity Designation Program. In preparing these materials, the cabinet shall\nsolicit feedback from and engage with the Kentucky Child Care Advisory Council\nand individuals and associations representing local governments, land use and\nplanning and design professionals, public health officials, licensed and certified\nchild-care providers, business leaders, economic development professionals, and\neducation professionals.\n(5) The cabinet shall:\n(a) Begin receiving and approving applications from local governments no earlier\nthan January 1, 2028; and\n(b) Send notice of approval or denial to applicants no later than thirty (30) days\nafter receiving an application. I f the cabinet denies an application, the cabinet\nshall include the reason for the denial in its notice and shall invite the\napplicant to resubmit.\n(6) (a) To attain certification by the cabinet, applicants shall be required to\ndemonstrate that the local government has:\n1. Established or joined a community -wide child care task force that\nincludes representatives from local government, the business\ncommunity, education, health care, nonprofits, and providers of licensed\nand certified child care services;\n2. Developed a strategic plan through its task force to address identified\nchild care challenges and increase access to child care services in the\nlocal community; and\n3. Analyzed local ordinances, regulations, and land use rules that could\ncreate barriers to the availability of child care services and developed an\naction plan to implement reforms. To comply with this subparagraph,\nthe applicant shall demonstrate that it has:\na. Gathered community input from child care providers and child\ncare organizations, lo cal residents and homeowners, local\nelementary and secondary school officials, the business\ncommunity, civic and nonprofit organizations, and economic\ndevelopers through meetings, listening sessions, or surveys;\nb. Conducted a comprehensive analysis of the  jurisdiction's\nordinances, regulations, and land use rules that may pertain to the\nprovision of child care services and identified ordinances,\nregulations, and land use rules that create barriers to the\navailability of child care services in the community; and\nc. Established a clear and specific action plan to amend ordinances,\nregulations, and land use rules that create barriers to the\navailability of child care services in the community as identified\nthrough the comprehensive analysis in subdivision b. o f this\nsubparagraph.\n(b) As used in paragraph (a)3. of this subsection, \"ordinances, regulations, and\nland use rules that create barriers to the availability of child care services\" in\nthe community means local ordinances, regulations, or land use rules th at\nlocal officials and community stakeholders have determined to be overly\nrestrictive or unnecessary and have the effect of discouraging or limiting the\navailability of child care services without meaningfully supporting safety or\npreserving the character of the community.\n(c) In fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (a)3. of this subsection, an\napplicant shall demonstrate that it has, to the greatest extent possible,\nreviewed and incorporated into its action plan recommendations and best\npractices for local ordinances, regulations, and land use rules pertaining to\nchild care made available by the cabinet. This demonstration shall include a\ndetailed explanation of where the applicant's local policies do and do not align\nwith recommended best practices. I f the cabinet determines that the applicant\ndid not adequately consider recommended best practices in its analysis and\naction plan, it may deny certification to the applicant.\n(d) If the applicant has not adopted land use rules pursuant to KRS Chapter 100,\nit may exclude, and the cabinet shall not consider, land use rules and zoning\nordinances from its analysis and action plan.\n(e) The cabinet shall permit local governments to partner together and submit\njoint applications. Under a joint application, the co mmunity-wide child care\ntask force shall include representatives from all local governments in the\napplication, and the strategic plan shall take into account child care needs\nacross all applicant communities. All local governments that are party to the\njoint application shall demonstrate compliance with requirements related to\nanalysis and modification of local ordinances, regulations, and land use rules\nthat could create barriers to the availability of child care services.\n(7) The cabinet shall:\n(a) Make publicly available a list of communities that have obtained the certified\nchild care community designation; and\n(b) Transmit, on a quarterly basis, a full list of certified communities to the\nCabinet for Economic Development.\n(8) By December 1, 2028, the c abinet shall submit a report to the Legislative Research\nCommission for referral to the Interim Joint Committees on Families and Children\nand State and Local Government specifying the communities that have obtained the\ndesignation, a summary of the differe nt strategies used by local communities to\nexpand access to child care and remove barriers, and recommendations for\nimprovements to the program.\n(9) When the Cabinet for Economic Development engages with a company regarding\nparticipation in an incentive or funding program administered by one (1) or more of\nthat cabinet's agencies, including when it initially communicates with, receives an\napplication from, and approves funding to, any company, the Cabinet for Economic\nDevelopment shall provide to the compan y information regarding the Certified\nChild Care Community Designation Program, including a list of communities that\nhave obtained the designation.\n(10) By November 1 of each year, the Cabinet for Economic Development shall prepare\nand post to its website as required in KRS 154.12 -2035 a report containing a list of\ncommunities that have obtained the designation, information regarding its\nengagement with companies as outlined in this section, and information regarding\nits actions under KRS 199.888.","path":["KRS Chapter 199"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56899","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:55Z","sha256":"467750b82e6eed97c55d40e193a13c328689edca390143821cda560d4db8e101","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-199.890","next":"us-ky/krs-199.8911"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}