Eligible child care workers could get telehealth and medicine cost help

The Department of Administration would coordinate a pilot offering telehealth consultations and prescription medicine reimbursements to eligible child care workers. Workers must be actively providing care at a licensed facility, have family income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, and lack employer-based insurance when they apply. Eligible roles include providers, licensees, teachers, and program directors. The department could limit the number of applicants. The program would depend on appropriations, and the Children’s Cabinet would seek grants to help cover costs. The text says services would begin in 2026 and be provided for two calendar years, subject to appropriations. It also sets a fiscal-year expansion schedule: family and group home providers in 2026, center employees in 2027, and all workers meeting the criteria in 2028.

State law would bar local governments and their contractors from imposing stricter rules on licensed child care providers than state law or state regulations require. The restriction would apply to cities, counties, other local governments, and their contractors, and to providers licensed by the state health department. Local laws, rules, or resolutions that conflict with the limit would be void.

The state would match certain federal food program reimbursements for eligible licensed in-home and group-home providers, up to the top rate available to other providers. The match would cover licensed in-home and group-home providers receiving a lower reimbursement tier under the federal child and adult care food program. The match would depend on state appropriations. The state would not provide a match in a fiscal year when federal or grant funding already covers the highest reimbursement rate.

The state health department would provide required child care training and materials at no cost, and completed training would count toward continuing education. The provisions cover child care providers and licensees required by the state health department to complete training. Free orientation and training would cover positions for which the state requires training before work begins or a license is approved. Free materials would be available to providers and licensees required to complete training or an equivalent. The health department and Children’s Cabinet would develop a program to reimburse licensees for sending providers to in-person training and report its estimated development cost to legislative committees. Training would count in the current or next applicable year. The agencies would report the estimated cost of the reimbursement program during the 2026 legislative session.