In 2006, more than 60 percent of Kentucky's children under the age of 6 lived in households where all parents were in the workforce*. That number continues to rise each year as more families find it economically necessary for both parents to work outside the home. While some of these children are cared for by family members while their parents work, the majority of children are in a formal setting, either center-based or an in-home child care program.

The $516 billion sweeping government spending bill before Congress provides $129 million for child care centers at 16 military installations, including locations where there have been heavy deployments of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence emphasizes that early childhood education is the method to improve the entire educational system in Kentucky.